Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, sent sexual text messages to a former aide with whom he allegedly had an affair before her death by suicide last year.
According to NBC News, in a series of late-night messages from May 9, 2024, Gonzales asked his then-staffer to “send me a sexy pic.” He went on to ask her “favorite position” and then mentioned multiple sexual acts.
The aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, eventually replied by telling the congressman, “this is too far, Tony.”
“Please tell me you didn’t just hire me because I was hot,” Santos-Aviles wrote.
“No way,” Gonzales replied.
NBC News obtained the text messages and confirmed their authenticity with Bobby Barrera, the lawyer for Santos-Aviles’ widower, Adrian Aviles. Barrera previously said he was working with his client to release text messages to confirm Aviles' accusation that his late wife had been in a romantic relationship with Gonzales.
The text messages, which only include messages exchanged during part of one day, do not address whether there was a physical relationship between the two. The San Antonio Express-News and 24Sight News first published the text messages.
In the weeks after Santos-Aviles’ death in 2025, Gonzales denied the allegation that they had an affair. But it resurfaced last week when Santos-Aviles’ widower publicly accused the congressman of having an affair with his then-wife, and Gonzales has not directly addressed the substance of the allegation since then.
