Firefighter who joined the Capitol riot had photo of a Democratic lawmaker with a shooting target superimposed over her body, the FBI says

Alia Shoaib
Updated ·2 min read
2

  • Andrew Williams pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count relating to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

  • The FBI found a photo of a Democratic lawmaker with a shooting target superimposed over her, in his home.

  • In a sentencing memorandum, federal prosecutors asked he be sentenced to 30 days' incarceration.

The FBI found a photograph of a Democratic member of Congress with a shooting target superimposed over her body in the home of a Capitol Riot defendant, federal prosecutors said.

A firefighter from Sanford, Florida, Andrew Williams, pleaded guilty in November to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing inside a Capitol building.

After Williams was arrested following the January 6 insurrection, the FBI searched his home and found the photograph of an unnamed Democratic lawmaker, according to the sentencing memorandum filed on Friday, viewed by Insider.

Along with the shooting target superimposed over her body, a beret with a hammer and sickle symbol was on the lawmaker's head.

During his pre-sentencing interview with law enforcement, Williams said that the target was a "secret Santa" gift from a co-worker, the memo said.

Agents said they also found a roll of "Q" stickers in Williams' home, referring to the QAnon conspiracy theory.

In the memorandum, prosecutors requested the court sentence Williams to a split sentence of 30 days' incarceration, two years of probation, 60 hours of community service, and $500 in restitution.

Williams was identified as a Capitol riot participant after a Sanford law-enforcement officer saw a photo he posted online of himself in the Capitol.

In videos taken during the insurrection, later obtained by the FBI, Williams doubted he would be arrested.

"How are they going to arrest every single person?" Williams said in a video taken inside the Capitol, according to an FBI affidavit seen by Insider.

"We are storming the Capitol! Yeah, baby!" Williams says in a different video, according to the affidavit.

In his interview with law enforcement ahead of his sentencing, Williams said that he regretted his conduct and that it didn't feel like a riot at the time, the sentencing memorandum said.

More than 760 people have been arrested for the Capitol attack, and more than 170 have pleaded guilty.

Read the original article on Business Insider