Rioter accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi's laptop placed on house arrest

January 21, 2021January 21, 2021 WKXA

Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBy JULIA JACOBO and ALEXANDER MALLIN, ABC News

(HARRISBURG, Pa.) — The Capitol Hill rioter who allegedly stole House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop with the intention of selling it to Russian intelligence officers has been released on house arrest.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered that Riley June Williams, 22, remain confined in her home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pending further proceedings in her case. She was released into the custody of her mother and will be fitted with a GPS monitoring device. She was also ordered to stay away from Washington, D.C.

“You are being released today because the Constitution has prevailed,” the judge said before going into recess. “I share that thought with you, as you leave here today, that your freedom, conditioned as it is by the orders that I’ve entered, is a result of the prevailing of the Constitution. And I’ll leave you with this final thought Ms. Williams: The Constitution prevails here today, and the Constitution will always prevail in this country.”

Williams allegedly stole a laptop from Pelosi’s office during the siege on the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, according to federal court documents. The FBI is investigating whether Williams intended to sell the device to Russia.

Williams was arrested after a witness who identified himself as a former romantic partner of Williams called the FBI with a tip that she was the woman seen in a video published by British broadcaster ITV, according to the charging affidavit.

Williams allegedly kept the device or destroyed it after the sale to Russia fell through, the complaint states. A post from Discord, a social media platform, in which Williams allegedly states she stole the computer as well as images taken from inside Pelosi’s office, including one that depicts the laptop being stolen, are cited in the court records.

Williams has been charged with entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

During the court appearance, Williams’ attorney argued that she has been “vilified” and that many of the allegations against her are overstated. Williams’ attorney also claimed the witness who identified her was an abusive ex-boyfriend from whom she was fleeing.

The FBI is continuing to investigate claims from the witness, who said he’d spoken to friends of Williams who said she intended to sell Pelosi’s laptop to Russia, prosecutors said.

Federal authorities are continuing to charge dozens of people who participated in the Capitol riots, including a former Fashion Institute of Technology student who posed in front of Pelosi’s office, a Proud Boys organizer and a man who allegedly participated in pinning down a Metropolitan Police officer using a door and a police shield.