Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Woman Accused of Helping Steal Pelosi Laptop Freed From Jail
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
January 21, 2021

Share

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman facing charges that she helped steal a laptop from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the attack on the U.S. Capitol will be released from jail, a federal judge decided Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Carlson directed that Riley June Williams be released into the custody of her mother, with travel restrictions, and instructed her to appear Monday in federal court in Washington to continue her case.

“The gravity of these offenses is great,” Carlson told Williams. “It cannot be overstated.”

Williams, 22, of Harrisburg, is accused of theft, obstruction and trespassing, as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Carlson noted Williams has no prior criminal record.

The FBI says an unidentified former romantic partner of Williams tipped them off that she appeared in video from the Jan. 6 rioting and the tipster claimed she had hoped to sell the computer to Russian intelligence.

Williams’ defense lawyer, Lori Ulrich, told Carlson the tipster is a former boyfriend who had been abusive to Williams and that “his accusations are overstated.”

Video from the riot shows a woman matching Williams’ description exhorting invaders to go “upstairs, upstairs, upstairs” during the attack, which briefly disrupted certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

“It is regrettable that Ms. Williams took the president’s bait and went inside the Capitol,” Ulrich told the judge.

Williams surrendered to face charges on Monday. She was expected to leave the county jail in Harrisburg later Thursday, and will be on electronic monitoring to await trial.

She did not respond to questions as a federal marshal led her in handcuffs out of the courtroom.

Carlson made direct reference to the attack on the Capitol, saying a howling crowd tried unsuccessfully to prevent the peaceful transition of power.

“It has been honored by generations of Americans for 232 years,” Carlson said. “It has become so commonplace that we often think very little of it.”

In adding the theft-related charges on Tuesday, a Virginia-based FBI agent said Williams was recorded on closed-circuit cameras in the Capitol going into and coming out of Pelosi’s office.

The agent’s affidavit said a cellphone video that was likely shot by Williams shows a man’s gloved hand lifting an HP laptop from a table, and the caption read, “they got the laptop.”

Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, has said a laptop used only for presentations was taken from a conference room. The current location of the computer has not been disclosed in court documents, and was not discussed in court on Thursday.

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

DON'T MISS

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

DON'T MISS

CalFire Shares 2024’s Top Images. See Highlights of Intense Wildfire Season.

DON'T MISS

While Sherrod Motors to Boise, Entz’s Bulldogs Add a Coach, Transfers, Recruits

DON'T MISS

California and Texas Duke It Out for Worst State to Raise a Family

DON'T MISS

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

DON'T MISS

Explore the Holiday Magic in California’s Death Valley

DON'T MISS

Visalia Unlicensed Driver Smashes Into Home. No Injuries Reported.

DON'T MISS

Penn State’s Schumacher-Cawley Is 1st Female Coach to Win NCAA Volleyball Title

DON'T MISS

Myles Turner Hits Late 3-Pointer, Scores 23 as Pacers Beat Warriors

UP NEXT

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

UP NEXT

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

UP NEXT

What Is Israel’s US Funded Plan for the Middle East?

UP NEXT

Illegal Immigrant Faces Murder Charges in Death of Woman Lit on Fire in NYC Subway

UP NEXT

Bill Clinton Is Hospitalized With a Fever but in Good Spirits, Spokesperson Says

UP NEXT

Cheers! Wine Clubs Are This Year’s Hottest Last Minute Gift

UP NEXT

House Ethics Committee Accuses Gaetz of ‘Regularly’ Paying for Sex With Women, Including Minor

UP NEXT

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

UP NEXT

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

UP NEXT

US Deportations Surge to Highest Level in a Decade Before Trump Takes Office

While Sherrod Motors to Boise, Entz’s Bulldogs Add a Coach, Transfers, Recruits

18 hours ago

California and Texas Duke It Out for Worst State to Raise a Family

18 hours ago

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

19 hours ago

Explore the Holiday Magic in California’s Death Valley

19 hours ago

Visalia Unlicensed Driver Smashes Into Home. No Injuries Reported.

20 hours ago

Penn State’s Schumacher-Cawley Is 1st Female Coach to Win NCAA Volleyball Title

21 hours ago

Myles Turner Hits Late 3-Pointer, Scores 23 as Pacers Beat Warriors

21 hours ago

What Is Israel’s US Funded Plan for the Middle East?

21 hours ago

Caitlin Clark Honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year

22 hours ago

Rams Don’t Dominate, but They’re Mastered Winning Ugly

22 hours ago

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

Over the past few years, Elon Musk has expanded his footprint in Texas, moving his companies from California and building offices, warehouse...

12 minutes ago

The SpaceX starship rocket near the Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, Feb. 21, 2024. Employees of SpaceX have filed a formal petition to create the city of Starbase. (Meridith Kohut/The New York Times)
12 minutes ago

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

12 minutes ago

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

18 hours ago

CalFire Shares 2024’s Top Images. See Highlights of Intense Wildfire Season.

18 hours ago

While Sherrod Motors to Boise, Entz’s Bulldogs Add a Coach, Transfers, Recruits

18 hours ago

California and Texas Duke It Out for Worst State to Raise a Family

Photo of Elon Musk
19 hours ago

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

19 hours ago

Explore the Holiday Magic in California’s Death Valley

A vehicle crashed into a home on North Cain Street in Visalia Tuesday morning, causing minor property damage but no injuries, with the unlicensed driver cited at the scene. (Visalia PD)
20 hours ago

Visalia Unlicensed Driver Smashes Into Home. No Injuries Reported.

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend