The FBI is investigating a claim that one of the people who breached House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office in the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots stole a laptop or hard drive from the office and attempted to sell it to a Russian intelligence agency.
In an affidavit outlining the case against Riley June Williams — a woman from Pennsylvania that allegedly entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6 — the FBI says it received information that Williams was attempting to sell a laptop or hard drive from Pelosi's office to SVR, Russia's intelligence agency.
Williams was arrested on Monday, according to a Department of Justice database.
The FBI says it was contacted by a person of interest claiming to be a "romantic partner" of Williams on its tip line. The tipster claimed that friends of Williams had a video of her taking a "laptop or hard drive" from Pelosi's office.
The tipster added that they believed Williams was trying to get the device to a friend in Russia, who would then sell it to SVR. However, for unknown reasons, the sale "fell through."
Williams is reportedly either still in possession of the device or has destroyed it, the affidavit says.
Drew Hammill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, later confirmed on Twitter that a laptop "that was only used for presentations" was stolen from the speaker's office.
A laptop from a conference room was stolen. It was a laptop that was only used for presentations. https://t.co/S7YGPnLaWy
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 8, 2021
BuzzFeed reports that the FBI was able to identify Williams' involvement in the riots from a video shared on social media.
Williams already faces charges of "entering a restricted building, disrupting the orderly conduct of government and engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct," according to the Department of Justice.
Dozens of other protesters have already been charged for their involvement in the Jan. 6 riots, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol as Congress voted to certify the results of the 2020 election.
Five people — including a Capitol police officer — were killed in the riots. A second Capitol police officer died by suicide days later.
