WASHINGTON — A Trinidad man has been sentenced to six months in prison for his role in the failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
> The video above aired June 4, 2021
Timothy Williams pleaded guilty in February to one count each of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and theft of government property. Other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Williams was sentenced Wednesday to six months in prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release with six months of home confinement, for each count. The two sentences will run concurrently.
Williams was arrested in Colorado on June 4, 2021. According to a warrant for his arrest, he admitted he was inside the capitol building, but said he was "pushed" inside and that he wasn't involved in any violence.
According to a document filed by Williams' attorneys, while in the Capitol he picked up an abandoned backpack containing a U.S. Capitol Police riot helmet. Prosecutors said Williams "looted a U.S. Capitol Police Officer’s riot helmet and bag, kept possession of this equipment until after the entry of his guilty plea, and lied to the FBI about stealing these items."
The FBI received an anonymous tip that Williams and his girlfriend were in the Capitol building on Jan. 6 and after following up on that tip, they located video footage showing Williams inside the building.
On March 17, 2021, Williams was interviewed at his home in Trinidad by FBI agents. According to the warrant, at that time, he admitted he went inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
In one video, Williams was seen wearing a Hortilux hat, the warrant says. Hortilux makes equipment for indoor growers.
In his March 17 interview, Williams told the FBI he previously worked for GrowGeneration, a hydroponics equipment supplier in Trinidad, but lost his job because he wouldn’t take a COVID-19 test.
He said he and his girlfriend went to DC together and were there from Jan. 5-8 but got separated on the day of the insurrection, according to the warrant.
Williams told the FBI he "got pushed" inside the U.S. Capitol building and stated that he "was not involved with any acts of violence or property damage."
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