Posted on 01/27/2021 7:02:16 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The Woman Accused of Stealing Pelosi’s Laptop Says She Doesn’t Have It
Riley June Williams’ lawyer says the allegations against her are all lies told by a vengeful ex.
After a long hearing in federal court in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, the case of Riley June Williams — a 22-year-old Pennsylvania woman accused of stealing, or helping to steal, a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and sell it to Russia’s foreign intelligence service — is more confusing than ever.
According to a statement of facts compiled by the FBI, a “former romantic partner” of Williams called the agency and alleged that Williams took the laptop during the storming of the US Capitol and “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.” The FBI added that the tipster said the sale fell through for “unknown reasons” and that Williams either still has the device or destroyed it. (Pelosi’s office has confirmed the laptop is missing, though one of her staffers tweeted two days after the insurrection that it was “only used for presentations.”)
But during the hearing Tuesday, the purpose of which was to set the conditions of her house arrest, her defense attorney, federal public defender A.J. Kramer, argued that Williams’ house and her car had been searched, and she did not have the laptop.
“In the allegation of the theft of the computer, she’s charged with aiding and abetting, not the actual theft itself,” Kramer said during the hearing. “In fact, [law enforcement] searched everywhere, and she does not have the computer. They searched the car and the house.”
Following the hearing, Kramer told BuzzFeed News over the phone that Williams denies all of the accusations made against her — from the theft itself, including aiding or encouraging the theft, to the allegations of attempting to sell it to Russia — and alleged that they were all lies all made up by an ex who, as he said in the hearing, “vowed revenge on Williams for various things.” Williams has filed for a restraining order against that ex, Kramer added.
Kramer added that he “thinks” that Williams never had the laptop at all.
The FBI affidavit, however, includes screenshots of what appears to be Williams’ account on the social media platform Discord (which was one of the services used to organize the Jan. 6 protests and insurrection), writing, “I STOLE SHIT FROM NANCY POLESI [sic]” and “I DOMT CARE I TOOK NANCY POLESIS HARD DRIVES I DONT CARE KILL ME.” The document also contains several screenshots and descriptions of videos taken during the insurrection, apparently showing Williams in the Capitol, egging on other rioters and apparently directing the crowd up the stairs toward Pelosi’s office.
Screenshots of a video that tipsters told the FBI Williams livestreamed on her own social media account show the hands of people in the process of taking a laptop from a congressional desk. The FBI agent writing the affidavit says that the video appears to show Williams telling a man reaching for the computer to “put on gloves” and that writing over the video says “they got the laptop.”
The complaint against Williams in the US District Court for the District of Columbia charges Williams on four counts, including aiding and abetting “others to, embezzle, steal, purloin” government property in excess of $6,000, along with the unlawfully entering and disorderly conduct charges that many of the other Capitol rioters have faced. Justice Department lawyer Kelly Smith made it clear that the government was still investigating Williams and that it was possible she could face other charges in the future.
Update from today’s court hearing
The Woman Accused Of Stealing Pelosi’s Laptop Says She Doesn’t Have It https://t.co/Q1A6gu8AGc via @o_ema
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) January 27, 2021
This video claims to show Riley Williams at the Capitol…
Well, I totally captured Riley June Williams fleeing the #CapitolRiot with Pelosi's laptop/hard drive. Huh. pic.twitter.com/v5a3x4ExhN
— Angry Woman Who Isn't Funny & Ruins Everything Fun (@dudgedudy) January 18, 2021
I understand it’s covered with Kracken.
Not a surprise, even the FBI loses laptops
What possible reason would she have to lie? Other than the Treason stuff, with the death penalty angle.
Did it even ever exist at all?...............................
RE: Did it even ever exist at all?...
Well, Pelosi herself commented that she’s not worried about the content of the laptop so it has to exist.
Why would someone as stable as Pelosi leave a laptop behind....not counting just plain stupid.
Sounds like a repeat of the Richard Jewell case.
CDC needs to look into the boating accident epidemic that seems to be sweeping the country.
Of course she doesn’t have it.
“...charges Williams on four counts, including aiding and abetting “others to, embezzle, steal, purloin” government property in excess of $6,000...”
A laptop “used only for presentations” is worth $6,000???
Her lawyer might want to ask for proof of that valuation, and exactly what sort of computer this was. Gold-plated like Ouday Hussain’s AK47?
What sort of Trumpers used “discord.com”?
Somewhere I saw a statement that the FBI swiped it.
Don’t remember where.
Or was that Jussie Smollet?
Why would they want to sell it to Russia, returning evidence? Where’d that narrative come from, are they still pushing the “Trump-Russia collusion to win an election and get rich” thing?
Somebody has it. Just holding out until the price is right.
I think the FBI is really good at setting people up for alleged crime. Investigating real stuff they are more like keystone cops. They better start leaving this type of investigation to professionals.
That $6000 includes the kickback for Pelosi’s offshore account.
I, too, read that!!
Look on Christopher Wray’s desk.
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