24 Mar, 2023 16:07
January 6 rioter gets three-year jail term
Riley Williams was branded by prosecutors as an “accelerant” to “mayhem”
A Pennsylvania woman who was among a crowd of protesters that breached the US Capitol building during the January 6, 2021 riot in Washington DC was sentenced on Thursday to 36 months in prison. Riley Williams, who was convicted last November, gained notoriety over her alleged role in thetheft of Nancy Pelosi’s laptop.
Williams, who was 22 at the time of her crimes, was branded by prosecutors as “among the worst” rioters and “an accelerant, exacerbating the mayhem.” She was found guilty ofinterferingwith law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, ofresisting or impedinglaw enforcement officers, and offourassociated misdemeanor offenses.
The jury wasdeadlocked on the chargerelated to the laptop of then-House Speaker Pelosi. The US government also accused Williams of obstructing an official proceeding, but failed to convince the jury on that charge either. The prosecution consequently dismissed both charges. (Where’s Nancy’s laptop?)
According to the Justice Department, during the Capitol breach Williams “directed other rioters,pushed against officers, andtook video, audio, and photo recordingsof her activities. She alsothrew a water bottleat police officers and called them traitors.” She thenwiped her computer “with commercial-grade software” six times, according to prosecutors. (Are these really punishable offenses? Of course Berman Jackson-Anti Trump smashes the gavel down.)
Williams explained that in January 2021 she was “a young and stupid girl” who “was addicted to the internet” and made an error in judgment by believing claims about the 2020 presidential elections by outgoing President Donald Trump and his supporters. She apologized for her actions and said there was “no justification or excuse for my behavior.”
Judge Amy Berman Jacksoncalled Williams’ conduct “utterly reprehensible” and dismissed her claim that her young age was a mitigating factor.
“She’s not some little waif blowing in the wind,”Jackson declared. “She poured fuel on the fire.”
Williams has been held in custody since her conviction, meaning the four months that have passed since will be deducted from her prison term.
https://www.rt.com/news/573531-capitol-rioter-williams-sentensed/