U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from San Antonio, has publicly accused the husband of a deceased former staffer of attempting to blackmail him. This allegation comes in the wake of claims that Gonzales was involved in an extramarital affair with the late staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, who tragically died by suicide last year.
On Thursday, Gonzales took to social media platform X, stating, “I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED. Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death.” He accompanied his statement with a screenshot of an email suggesting that a lawyer representing Santos-Aviles’ husband, Adrian Aviles, was requesting a settlement of up to $300,000 in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement.
The email, authored by attorney Robert Barrera, lacks a date and timestamp but appears to reference text messages exchanged between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles. Barrera indicated that these messages could substantiate a sexual harassment claim should legal action be pursued. He declined to provide the full email to The Texas Tribune, citing confidentiality rules, but described the messages as indicative of inappropriate behavior from Gonzales.
Barrera commented that Santos-Aviles had expressed discomfort with Gonzales’s advances, stating, “This is too much, this is too far, this is not right.” Despite requests for comment from Gonzales’s campaign and legal representatives, there was no immediate response.
Barrera claimed Gonzales “refuses to acknowledge the truth,” asserting that he possesses evidence to support the claims. In a prior statement, Gonzales did not address the affair allegations directly but accused his political opponent in the upcoming March 3 GOP primary of exploiting the staffer’s death for political gain. He has consistently denied the affair allegations.
Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire in Uvalde. Following Gonzales’s social media post, Aviles’s social media account labeled the congressman as a “two-faced politician,” stating, “We have never blackmailed anyone.” The post criticized Gonzales for evading accountability and spreading falsehoods to maintain his public image.
The email shared by Gonzales suggests that Barrera was contemplating a lawsuit under the Congressional Accountability Act, which permits staffers to file lawsuits for discrimination, harassment, or labor violations. Barrera expressed concerns about the potential damage such a lawsuit could inflict on Gonzales’s career, stating, “I don’t have a way to file it without potentially damaging his career.”
In an interview, Barrera revealed he still possesses Santos-Aviles’s phone, with all relevant messages downloaded. He is awaiting instructions from Aviles regarding their potential release, which he indicated would likely not occur before Friday. Barrera remarked, “People are ignoring the fact that this young lady is dead,” attributing her tragic death to the emotional turmoil stemming from her relationship with Gonzales.
Gonzales, who has served the 23rd Congressional District since 2021, is married and has six children. He represents the largest district in Texas, which stretches along the southwestern border and encompasses parts of San Antonio. His social media statement called for the release of the police report related to Santos-Aviles’s death. Aviles responded that the report was being withheld to protect their eight-year-old son, asserting, “Nothing in that police report protects you.”
Rumors regarding an affair between Santos-Aviles and Gonzales have circulated since her death, particularly following a report by Current Revolt in September. At the Texas Tribune Festival in November, Gonzales publicly refuted the rumors, declaring them “completely untruthful.”
Earlier this week, the San Antonio Express-News published a text message exchange between Santos-Aviles and another former staffer, in which she confessed to having “had an affair with our boss.” The other staffer, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, denied receiving any compensation from Gonzales’s political opponents.
In a subsequent interview, Aviles accused Gonzales of “abusing his power” and claimed the congressman and his staff attempted to remove Santos-Aviles from her position after learning of the affair. He noted that they had separated but were working on reconciling their marriage. Santos-Aviles reportedly struggled with mental health issues and had threatened self-harm in the wake of the affair’s revelation. She ultimately died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio the day after her tragic act.
Gonzales is facing a competitive primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist who nearly defeated him in a runoff election in 2024, along with former Representative Quico Canseco and Marine Corps veteran Keith Barton. In the evolving political landscape, the 23rd Congressional District saw former President Donald Trump secure a 15-point victory in 2024, prompting increased interest from Democrats in flipping the seat this November, with four candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.
Neither Trump nor House Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly commented on the allegations surrounding Gonzales. This unfolding situation raises questions about the potential implications for Gonzales’s political career and the broader discourse on accountability in public office.
