Woman convicted for storming Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6

Source: Politico | November 21, 2022 | Kyle Cheney

Jurors convicted Riley Williams of six charges but failed to reach a unanimous verdict on two of the central counts, including obstruction of Congress’ proceeding.

A Pennsylvania woman who joined a mob in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office suite on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted Monday for impeding police officers trying to defend the Capitol.

After three days of deliberation, jurors convicted Riley Williams, 23, of six charges, including two felonies: participating in a civil disorder and impeding officers who tried to clear the Capitol Rotunda. But the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on two of the central charges in the case: whether Williams “aided and abetted” in the theft of a laptop from Pelosi’s office that the speaker used to make Zoom calls amid the Covid pandemic, and obstruction of Congress’ Jan. 6 proceeding — a felony that carries a 20-year maximum penalty.

Prosecutors must now decide whether to retry Williams on the two unresolved charges. Her sentence will be issued in February.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Williams immediately remanded to federal prison, agreeing with prosecutors that she presents a flight risk if released while awaiting sentencing. Williams was “packed and ready to flee” after Jan. 6, Jackson noted, and had a sophisticated understanding about how to cover her tracks. Her actions toward police on Jan. 6, Jackson said, eroded any confidence the judge had in Williams’ ability to obey court orders while released. Prosecutors noted that Williams faces a multi-year sentence, likely to be enhanced by her efforts to delete messages and cover up her conduct.

“She was profane. She was obnoxious. She was threatening,” Jackson said. “She organized others to forcibly resist.”

Williams, who remained stoic as her verdict was read, turned visibly distraught when she realized Jackson was going to send her to jail immediately. She smiled and thanked her defense attorney, Lori Ulrich, who called to her, “You won,” as she was led away — a reference to the two stalled counts.

The verdict closes a significant chapter in the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation. Williams was among the first defendants charged and arrested for breaching the Capitol, and is the first convicted by a jury after breaking into Pelosi’s office. She is also the first woman convicted by a federal jury for Jan. 6-related offenses.

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