Riley Williams, one of the high-profile defendants in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a federal judge in Washington. Williams, a resident of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was accused of directing violence during the attack and of making violent statements about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In November, a jury convicted her of six federal charges.
The Justice Department argued that Williams was an “accelerant” of the mob and “gleefully directed and mobilized” violence during the attack. During a lengthy sentencing hearing on Thursday, prosecutors accused Williams of obstructing the investigation and of denying responsibility for her actions. Williams was also accused of using commercial grade software to wipe her computer six times and removing computer hardware to hide evidence.
The prosecution argued that Williams was obsessed with the idea that the election was stolen and that she was not a naïve or impressionable person. Williams was said to be openly proud of her actions, and she might be incapable of remorse. In their prior arguments, the Justice Department alleged Williams moved inside Pelosi’s office, directed other rioters, pushed against officers, and took video, audio, and photo recordings of her activities. Prosecutors said Williams also threw a water bottle at police officers and called them traitors.
The jury deadlocked on two of the charges against Williams, including a theft charge. In seeking leniency for Williams, her defense attorney argued that Williams was impacted by “impressionable men,” including former President Donald Trump. Williams’ defense attorney played a 2023 video clip of Trump continuing to deny the impact of the January 6 insurrection.
In a statement to the judge, Williams apologized to police and Capitol employees. She said, “I barely recognize the young and stupid girl who yelled at police that day. I’m now a responsible woman.”
Just before issuing the 36-month prison sentence, Judge Amy Berman Jackson called Williams’s crimes “utterly reprehensible” and “grave.” Jackson said Williams gave directions to others amid the mob, and there was only one voice giving the instructions, like a coxswain on a crew team. Jackson added that Williams was “not a little waif flowing in the wind.”
Williams has already served four months of her prison term. She was ordered jailed immediately after her conviction at trial in November.
Original Story at www.cbsnews.com – 2023-03-23 07:00:00