Woman investigated theft of Pelosi’s laptop during riot on Capitol Hill freed from prison

The woman accused by a former romantic partner of stealing Nancy Pelosi’s laptop during the Capitol riot and which planned to sell it to Russia, he was ordered out on Thursday from prison under surveillance. Riley Williams’ attorney told court some of the charges against his client were “exaggerated” and said the ex-boyfriend who reported Williams to the FBI had been abusive.

Williams handed over to the authorities in Pennsylvania on Monday, after her ex repeatedly called the FBI to report seeing her in videos inside the Capitol, court documents show.

She faces charges of “Assisting others to hijack, steal, steal”, “obstruct, influence or interfere with any official procedure”, “Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or land without legal authorization” and “Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds,” according to the Department of Justice.

None of the charges relate to an allegation that it was planning to sell the laptop to Russia – an allegation which court documents “remain under investigation”.

US judge Martin Carlson told Williams he was releasing her because she had no criminal record – but he warned her and her mother that she could face criminal charges if she did not comply not the monitoring requirements. Williams ‘supervised release conditions include restricted movement for all purposes except criminal proceedings, house arrest with an ankle monitor, and Williams’ mother serving as a third-party guard.

Carlson called Williams’ alleged actions “antithetical” to constitutional values. “The Constitution prevails here today,” he said. “And the Constitution will always prevail in this country.”

According to an amended criminal complaint filed on Tuesday, Williams’ former partner shared video clips with investigators that they said were recorded or broadcast live by Williams during the riot. The complaint said that in a video, a woman believed to be Williams can be heard saying to a man “Dude, put on gloves”, before touching an HP laptop on a wooden desk. According to the complaint, Capitol Police confirmed that the video was taken in Pelosi’s office and that an HP laptop was stolen from the office that day.

Williams’ attorney said at the hearing that his client had been “vilified”, and said some of the allegations based on his former partner’s claims were “overrated”. She did not elaborate on which allegations were exaggerated.

The attorney also said Williams never hid from authorities and instead ran away from the abusive boyfriend who reported her to the FBI. She said the ex-boyfriend “threatened Ms Williams in a number of ways,” but did not elaborate.

Williams will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on January 25.