The woman accused of stealing Pelosi’s laptop gets to attend Renaissance Faire

By Vanessa Romo (NPR)
Aug. 21, 2022 4:27 p.m.
Riley June Williams, accused of stealing Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Jan. 6 attack, has been granted permission to attend the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Riley June Williams, accused of stealing Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Jan. 6 attack, has been granted permission to attend the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Dauphin County Prison via AP

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When Riley Williams, who is accused of stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Jan. 6 insurrection, was released from jail last year, the judge ordered that Williams would only be able to leave home for work, court proceedings, and a handful of approved outings.

Now it appears the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is one of those exceptions.

The 25-year-old has been granted permission to attend the Fairies & Fantasy themed fair for eight hours over the weekend, her lawyer Lori Ulrich told the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.

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"She is confined to her home 24/7 with exceptions. Every once in a while, if there is an activity that interests her, we ask if she can attend," Ulrich said.

This is not the first time the Mechanicsburg, Pa., resident has been allowed a reprieve from house arrest, Ulrich said. She noted that prosecutors are generally amenable to letting Williams go on day-long adventures.

This weekend, that might mean potentially partaking in some corseted cosplay, making preparations for a make-believe renaissance wedding, or enjoying a good ol' fashioned jousting competition. All of which sound like a nice break from the serious charges Williams faces.

Prosecutors say Williams stole Pelosi's computer from the speaker's office, which they say Williams boasted about on her own social media platform. The FBI was investigating whether Williams allegedly planned on selling the laptop to Russia's foreign intelligence agency.

"I took Nancy Polesis [sic] hard drives. I don't care. Kill me," authorities say she wrote on the social media site Discord.

At least 895 people across the country have been arrested in connection with the insurrection at the Capitol.

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