A woman claims she was wrongfully targeted by the FBI over the theft of Nancy Pelosi’s laptop, which was stolen during the Capitol insurrection back in January, NBC reported.
The riots saw an abundance of Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol in an effort to challenge the results of the presidential election, which were in Joe Biden’s favor. As they made their way through the building, they demolished offices and took off with several items, including Pelosi’s laptop and lectern.
Amid an investigation into the riots, the FBI has relied on social media posts, facial recognition tools, GPS data and phone logs to identify potential rioters.
According to court documents, however, Marilyn Hueper — the person believed to steal Pelosi’s laptop — was located after agents received tips from two people who claimed to recognize her from photos of wanted suspects who breached the Capitol. A warrant was subsequently issued, and her home was raided by FBI agents who handcuffed her and took off with a laptop, iPads, cellphones and more. The laptop they obtained was not the one from Pelosi’s office.
Hueper admitted she was in Washington D.C. on the day of the riots but claimed that she only made it about 100 yards from the government building. She insists that she is being confused with another woman who had on the same black Columbia jacket and wore a similar hairstyle, noting she noticed the striking resemblance after seeing one of the suspect’s photos.
An agent then presented a larger photo of the suspect in a black sweater and asked her where they could find it, and she let them know she never made it in the building. She said she held the picture to her face to prove that she was not the woman in the photograph. Unlike the woman, Hueper reportedly wore a green blouse, not a black sweater. The suspect had detached earlobes; Hueper’s ears are attached.
Hueper was not arrested following the FBI raid. She also hasn’t heard from authorities and has yet to receive any of the items that were confiscated from her.