Woman investigated for allegedly stealing laptop from Pelosi's office during Capitol riot faces new charges
Riley Williams, the woman who was accused by a former romantic partner of stealing a computer from Nancy Pelosi's office during the U.S. Capitol riot, is facing new charges, according to court documents released Tuesday. The amended criminal complaint cites a video from that day in which Williams allegedly instructs a man to put on gloves before he touched Pelosi's laptop, and claims she can be seen entering and leaving Pelosi's office.
Williams is now charged with "Aid Abet Others to Embezzle, Steal, Purloin" and "Obstruct, Influence or Impede any Official Proceeding." She is still facing her initial charges of "Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority" and "Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds."
Williams surrendered to authorities in Pennsylvania on Monday, after a person who identified themselves as her former romantic partner called the FBI multiple times in the days after the riots to report they had seen her in videos inside the Capitol, according to court documents.
In the amended complaint, an FBI agent said that Williams' former partner shared video clips with investigators that they said had been recorded or live streamed by Williams during the riot. In one 4-second video, the person holding the camera — who the agent said they believe to be Williams — tilted it down to show an HP laptop sitting on a wooden desk.
A female voice believed to be Williams then said, "Dude, put on gloves," according to the complaint. The video then appears to show a man's arm touching a laptop, the complaint said, adding that text across the video reads "they got the laptop."
The complaint said Capitol Police have confirmed that an HP laptop was stolen from Pelosi's office on the day of the riot. Capitol police also confirmed that the footage shown in the video was taken in Pelosi's office.
The complaint also cited posts on the social media app Discord in which a user named Riley wrote "I STOLE S*** FROM NANCY POLESI (sic)" and "I TOOK NANCY POLESIS HARD DRIVES I DONT CARE." The complaint does not provide concrete evidence linking Williams to the social media posts, but it noted that her former partner said she frequently used the platform.
Williams' former partner also told authorities that she "intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service," according to the complaint. But that plan "fell through for unknown reasons," the partner said, alleging that Williams either still has the device or destroyed it. That claim "remains under investigation," according to the complaint.
Clare Hymes contributed reporting.