WASHINGTON — A Kentucky man charged with storming the U.S. Capitol is suspected by the FBI of stealing a laptop belonging to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from a conference room during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, according to newly unsealed court records.
David Slinker was arrested near Edmonton, Kentucky, on Oct. 29, on misdemeanor charges. FBI agents didn't find the stolen laptop when they searched Slinker’s Kentucky home in November 2023.
Slinker isn't charged with theft, but an FBI agent's affidavit suggests that he left the Capitol with the stolen computer inside his backpack after other rioters helped him remove it from a conference room.
Slinker's case remained sealed until last Friday, when he made his initial court appearance. A federal magistrate judge ordered his release.
Barry Coburn, one of Slinker’s attorneys, declined to comment on the charges.
Slinker is one of over 1,500 people charged with federal crimes stemming from the Capitol riot. Many of them have asked for their cases to be paused after last week's presidential election. The Justice Department has continued to arrest and prosecute Capitol riot defendants even though President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to pardon rioters.
Slinker took a flight from Louisville, Kentucky, to Washington, D.C., on the day of the riot. He attended then-President Donald Trump 's “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House before heading to the Capitol. After entering the building through the Senate Wing Doors, Slinker headed to the suite of offices used by Pelosi, the affidavit says.
Inside a conference room, Slinker and other rioters found a laptop that belonged to Pelosi, according to the FBI. A sticky note on the keyboard had what appeared to be passwords to access the computer.
Slinker climbed onto a conference table and apparently posed for a selfie with the laptop visible in the background of the photo, the FBI said.
“Shortly after Slinker posed on the table, he made his way back to the laptop and began to examine it more closely, touching the keyboard with his knuckle rather than the pad of his finger,” the affidavit says.
Another rioter, Maryann Mooney-Rondon, encouraged Slinker to steal the laptop, saying, “It would be interesting to see what’s on that hard drive.” Her son, Rafael Rondon, warned them not to leave any fingerprints on it. Slinker closed the laptop with his elbows and tried to move it, according to the affidavit.
Rafael Rondon disconnected cables attached to the laptop and placed the computer into a bag belonging to Slinker, who left the conference room and exited the Capitol with a backpack on his shoulders, the affidavit says.
Surveillance video suggests Slinker removed his backpack before leaving the conference room and then put it back on his shoulders as he exited, according to the affidavit.
“This is consistent with Rondon's recollection that he assisted Slinker in putting the Speaker's laptop into Slinker's bag,” the agent wrote.
The FBI also searched the home of Mooney-Rondon and her son but didn't find Pelosi's laptop there, either.
In November 2023, Mooney-Rondon was sentenced to probation after a judge convicted her of charges including theft of government property for the stolen laptop. After an appeals court overturned Mooney-Rondon's conviction, the judge scheduled a resentencing hearing for next Tuesday.
Rafael Rondon also was sentenced to probation after he pleaded guilty to a riot-related felony.
