A man who previously filed paperwork to run for the District of Columbia’s nonvoting delegate seat in Congress has been indicted on federal child pornography charges, according to court records.
Federal grand jurors indicted Angel Rios on Feb. 5 on charges of allegedly distributing child pornography to a user on X. The indictment stems from an investigation that began after authorities were alerted to disturbing online messages Rios allegedly sent in December, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
According to court documents, Rios initiated contact with a male witness on X under the guise of discussing politics. Prosecutors allege the conversation later shifted to sexual topics, including a discussion of how the two could be an “LGBT+ community leader power couple” while secretly sexually abusing children.
An undercover federal agent later began communicating with Rios as part of the investigation, court records state. In messages cited by prosecutors, Rios allegedly discussed child sexual abuse material and told the agent, “You liked what you saw. You want more of it.” He also allegedly stated, “Kids are here to be used,” according to the DOJ.
Rios previously filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for the seat currently held by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who has represented the District in Congress since 1991. Norton, 88, announced in January that she intends to retire at the end of her term, prompting interest from potential successors in the heavily Democratic district. (RELATED: Elderly Democrat Terminates Campaign For 19th Term)
While Rios filed with the FEC, his name does not appear on Washington’s official candidate list for the delegate race. On his LinkedIn profile, Rios describes himself as a “shadow candidate.”
His LinkedIn résumé also includes claims that could not be independently verified, including that he worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and held leadership roles in organizations identified as the “Downtown Policy Council of Washington D.C.” and the “D.C. Community Action Network.”
FEC filings show that Rios previously filed to run for Congress as a Democrat in California during the 2022 election cycle and again in Mississippi during the 2024 cycle.
The District of Columbia’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives serves as a nonvoting member, meaning the delegate may participate in committee work and introduce legislation but cannot vote on final passage of bills on the House floor.
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