The Department of Justice stated on Thursday that a Pennsylvania woman who was accused of aiding rioters in stealing a laptop from then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the U.S. Capitol riot had been sentenced to 36 months in prison.
Newsworthy: According to a DOJ statement, Riley June Williams, 23, of Harrisburg, was sentenced in Washington, D.C., for “interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, and resisting or impeding law enforcement officers, both felonies, as well as four related misdemeanor offenses.”
In November, she was found guilty of the counts. According to the Justice Department, the jury was deadlocked on two other charges: assisting in the theft of government property and obstructing an official proceeding.
Details: Williams was charged with preparing to help steal a laptop or hard drive from Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6, 2021, and sending it to Russia, per a criminal complaint.
A person who claimed to be Williams’ “former romantic partner” tipped off the FBI about her, claiming she planned to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, according to prosecutors’ statement of facts.
According to the DOJ, the acquaintance in Russia reportedly intended to sell it to Russia’s foreign intelligence agency.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, prosecutors said in June 2022 that she had also boasted online about assuming Pelosi’s gavel.
They reported at the time that neither the laptop nor the gavel had been located.
Close up: The DOJ said in a statement on Thursday that Williams “pushed other rioters to invade further while inside the building, organized groups of them into a human battering ram to physically break through police lines, berated the police officers, and directed a large group of rioters to lock arms to resist law enforcement efforts to clear them out of the building.”
She “encouraged another rioter to grab a laptop” from Pelosi’s office, according to evidence, they claimed.
