Maryland Elections Board Member Resigns Following Arrest for Capitol Riot Participation

Carlos Ayala, appointed to the board in 2023, faces felony and misdemeanor charges for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.

Carlos Ayala, a Republican member of the Maryland State Board of Elections, has resigned after being arrested by the FBI on felony and misdemeanor charges for participating in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Ayala was appointed to the board in 2023 by Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, after being recommended by the Maryland Republican Party.
Ayala allegedly scaled a police barricade during the riot while carrying a flag that said, 'We the People' and 'DEFEND', and featured an image of an M-16-style rifle.
Video footage allegedly shows Ayala climbing over police barricades, moving towards the front of the crowd gathered outside the Senate wing door of the Capitol, and waving his flag inside one of the windows next to the door.
More than 1,200 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes, with approximately 900 of them having pleaded guilty or been convicted after trials decided by a jury or judge.