An FBI agent has pleaded guilty to stealing from targets during raids and arrests, including from a man who was part of the mob that invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Nicholas Anthony Williams, who worked out of the FBI’s Houston office but is no longer with the bureau, admitted Monday to four thefts while serving search warrants.
One of those was a July 13, 2023, raid on the home of Alexander Fan, a member of Asians for Trump who breached the Capitol as part of the protest against the Electoral College count that confirmed President Biden’s win.
Williams made off with $2,729 in cash and some silver bars, which he later tried to sell.
He also stole $1,200 during a raid on another residence on Dec. 16, 2020; got $4,145 from a raid on March 15, 2022; and pocketed $1,574 from a raid on Jan. 12, 2023. The theft from Fan is the last one he admitted to and, according to court documents, appears to have led to the agent’s downfall.
He also admitted to using his FBI-issued credit card to buy three cell phones, which he pawned. He spent $899.97 in taxpayers’ money and collected just $105 from the pawn shop.
Williams also said he lied to the FBI about his credit card purchases by claiming they were legitimate expenses related to cases he was working.
“Nicholas Williams betrayed that legacy and the community’s trust when he decided to pad his own pockets at the expense of a citizen’s rights,” said Alamdar Hamdani, the U.S. attorney in southern Texas. “Because no one is above the law, the system of justice that he once swore to protect will now seek to hold him to account for breaking that oath.”
In his plea, Williams said he spent some of the money he stole on guns and firearm accessories.
Williams’ sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13. He has already agreed to repay the money to the four people he stole from and to repay the FBI for the phones.
He began working as an FBI agent in the Houston office in 2019 and served on the criminal violent gang squad and the counterterrorism squad.
The theft from a Jan. 6 defendant is a black eye for the Justice Department, which has faced criticism from Republicans for what they see as an overzealous pursuit of participants in the demonstration.
Treatment of Jan. 6 defendants has been disproportionately harder than other major civil disturbances, such as the months of rioting at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, in the summer of 2020.
Fan was part of the Capitol breach and pleaded guilty to entering the halls of Congress. He was sentenced in February to a year of probation.
In court documents, Fan’s lawyer said he noticed money and the silver bars missing after the FBI searched his residence and filed a formal complaint.
“Mr. Fan is very grateful to the agency for believing him and conducting an investigation,” his lawyer told the judge.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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