On Monday, Riley June Williams, a Pennsylvania woman who forced her way into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on January 6, 2021, was found guilty of all the charges she was charged with in connection with the attack on the Capitol.
Six of the eight charges against Williams—including assaulting or restraining an officer and disorderly conduct in the Capitol—were upheld as true.
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On two of the other counts, including the government’s accusation that Riley had assisted in the theft of a laptop from Pelosi’s office, a mistrial was ruled. The verdict was split on the accusation of preventing the electoral college’s certification, which could have resulted in a 20-year prison sentence.
Who is Riley June Williams?
Less than two weeks after the riots, Riley June Williams, a resident of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was taken into custody. S he was accused of stealing government property, assaulting police, and interfering with a joint session of Congress for certifying the Electoral College vote. Williams was also accused of petty offences like aggressive or disruptive behaviour.
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She was allegedly a part of a group that broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on January 6, 2021, during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the prosecution. On Monday, she was convicted guilty on seven federal counts.
Williams was found guilty on six federal counts of causing civil disorder. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on two other charges, including “aiding and abetting the theft” of a laptop that was seized from Pelosi’s office suite during the rebellion. Furthermore, the jury was unable to reach a consensus regarding Williams’ role in impeding an official investigation.
After joining the “Stop the Steal” rally, where then-President Donald Trump spoke to tens of thousands of supporters earlier that day, Williams accompanied a mob’s onslaught on the Capitol. Prosecutors claim that when Pelosi entered her office, she discovered a laptop on a table and ordered another rioter to put on gloves before someone wearing black gloves took the device.
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Prosecutors claimed in a June 2022 court document that Williams later boasted online about stealing Pelosi’s gavel, laptop, and hard drives and that she “gave the electronic devices, or attempted to give them, to unspecified Russian individuals.”
When the FBI interrogated Williams, she denied stealing the laptop. According to prosecutors, she said that her ex-boyfriend “made up” the claim.
Williams pushed against police officers attempting to evacuate the Rotunda of the Capitol before she fled with other protesters. Williams urged other rioters to “keep pushing” and “push, push, push” during the altercation, which was caught on a police body camera.
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When Williams entered the Capitol, it was evident that she was wearing a shirt that read, “I’m with groyper.” The term “groyper” refers to those who support “America First” movement leader Nick Fuentes, who has spouted antisemitic and white nationalist language online.