As more insurrectionists are arrested by federal authorities, the FBI is currently pursuing a new suspect who stands accused of collaborating with Russian intelligence following the siege on the U.S. Capitol.
On Sunday (Jan. 17), ITV News first identified Riley June Williams from Harrisburg, Penn. as one of the few female rioters who stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. After she was identified by her parents, an ex-boyfriend of Williams recognized her from the report and the accompanying footage. He proceeded to contact the FBI, who then issued an arrest warrant for Williams. While her presence inside the Capitol building during the insurrection is enough to arrest her, authorities are more interested in what Williams did after she stormed the building with other rioters.
Shortly after they received the tip, the FBI formally charged Williams. They are also investigating claims that the 22-year-old rioter walked out of the Capitol building with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop or hard drive from her office. According to the FBI’s affidavit about the case, Williams was allegedly involved in a scheme to steal Pelosi’s computer and hard drive in order to give it to a friend in Russia who would then turn everything to the SVR, which is Russia’s equivalent of the CIA.
The FBI asserts that the deal between Williams and her friend in Russia did not go through as planned. They suspect that she either still has the laptop/hard drive in question or has possibly destroyed them. Williams is currently on the run after she fled her parent’s home on Friday (Jan. 15). She didn’t tell her parents where she was going and has reportedly deleted all of her social media accounts.
At the time this report was written, Williams had not been arrested by the FBI. However, given the numerous arrests of other recognizable rioters from the insurrection, it’s only a matter of time before the authorities find Riley June Williams.