This booking photo provided by the Dauphin County, Pa., Prison, shows Riley June Williams. Federal authorities on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, arrested Williams, whose former romantic partner says she took a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. (Dauphin County Prison via AP)
Dauphin County Prison via AP
Dauphin County Prison via AP
This booking photo provided by the Dauphin County, Pa., Prison, shows Riley June Williams. Federal authorities on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, arrested Williams, whose former romantic partner says she took a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. (Dauphin County Prison via AP)
Update:
A federal judge has rejected a request for a reduced sentence by one of the highest profile Pennsylvanians convicted in the January 6th U.S. Capitol attack.
The judge says the Mechanicsburg woman’s motion does not satisfy the criteria for a reduction in sentence — because she used violence or credible threats of violence that day.
In her ruling, she says Williams’ actions were the pure embodiment of fury, vehemence, and outrage — noting her conduct from start to finish was outrageous and intentional and cannot be marginalized.
Videos of Williams in the Capitol leading rioters to the office of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received national attention.
A court found her guilty of six federal charges and she was sent to the federal prison in Hazelton, West Virginia.
Williams is one of at least 96 Pennsylvanians charged in the January 6th attack — which was an attempt to subvert the democratic process — by halting the certification of the 2020 election to keep then-President Donald Trump in power.
Read the opinion here.
Previously reported:
One of highest-profile Pennsylvanians convicted in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack is hoping for a reduction in her sentence.
Riley June Williams of Harrisburg is seeking an early release from prison.
She has a little more than one year remaining on her three-year prison term. Her release date on the federal prison website is listed as March 14, 2025.
Lawyers for the 25-year-old are asking the court to reduce her sentence by six months. They say an amendment to federal sentencing guidelines reduces the range that’s applicable to her case.
Williams is best known for leading rioters to the office of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Williams was filmed while inside the Capitol, and initially was accused of stealing a laptop and gavel belonging to Pelosi, boasting on social media that she had “stormed into the capitol building and stole nancy pelosi’s hard drive and gavel.” But federal prosecutors dropped that charge after a jury couldn’t decide on a verdict.
In November 2022, she was found guilty of six federal charges, including civil disorder and resisting or impeding certain officers, and sent to the Hazelton federal prison in West Virginia.
A court filing notes she is assigned to landscaping and trash details. The document notes her “most recent work performance report reflects that she does ‘superior work,’ and her high caliber reflects that she ‘would do well at a more demanding job.’” It also says she has paid off the $2,000 restitution that was part of her sentence.
The filing says Williams has had two disciplinary infractions. She received one “for wearing sweatpants that had been altered/sewn.” Later, the document says, Williams “went for ‘rec,’ but she was unaware that she had received a ‘rec ban’ for the sweatpants incident. As a result, she received an infraction for being in an unauthorized area.”
Prosecutors filed in court to oppose Williams’ request for a shorter sentence. They said she is not eligible for a reduction under the amendment to the sentencing guidelines because her actions “involved violence, credible threats of violence, and injuries to multiple police officers.”
“For over 90 minutes, Williams dialed up the chaos while she gleefully directed the monstrous violence around her,” prosecutors wrote. “Where others turned back, she pushed forward. When officers blocked her path, Williams recruited other rioters, especially larger men wearing helmets and body armor, gathered them together, and pushed them forward like a human battering ram, using the mob as a weapon to break through the police lines.
“No amount of creative reimagining or relabeling of Williams’ conduct can change these facts.”
Williams is one of at least 96 Pennsylvanians charged in the January 6th attack, which was an attempt to subvert the democratic process by halting the certification of the 2020 election to keep then-President Donald Trump in power despite his election loss.
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
