Attorney claims Tony Gonzales coerced former aide into relationship

The staffer died by suicide in September after setting herself on fire. Politics Attorney claims Tony Gonzales coerced his late aide into a relationship and is "playing the role of a victim in a situation that he created" By Juliegrace Brufke Updated on: February 20, 2026 / 5:01 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google An attorney for the widower of Rep. Tony Gonzales' former aide alleges the Texas Republican coerced the staffer into a sexual relationship and is now "playing the role of a victim in a situation that he created."The staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, died by suicide in September after setting herself on fire, according to the autopsy report. Months earlier, she claimed in a text message to a colleague that she "had an affair with our boss," according to the text message, which was obtained by CBS News.Gonzales, who represents a sprawling district along the U.S.-Mexico border, has denied allegations that he had a sexual relationship with Santos-Aviles. He has also accused her widower's lawyer of attempting to blackmail him by seeking $300,000 in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement — which the lawyer denied."An open, shielded secret"Attorney Bobby Barrera, who's representing Santos-Aviles' husband, Adrien Aviles, spoke to CBS News in an interview Wednesday. Aviles was present for the interview but didn't speak to CBS News. Barrera said the congressman's relationship with the late staffer was "an open, shielded secret" and that the secrecy was maintained at Gonzales' explicit request. "It was shielded at the request of Tony Gonzales that his staff all continue to work together for the good and benefit of everybody, working together and getting through this thing and past the election," he said.Barrera also claimed on Thursday that text messages from a forensic download of Santos-Aviles' phone show Gonzales pushed Santos-Aviles into a sexual relationship, with the late staffer at times pushing back. He described exchanges that allegedly indicate Santos-Aviles communicated Gonzales was "going too far" and that she was hired for her appearance. "Coercion is an interpretive issue, depending upon who's sending the message and who's receiving it," Barrera said in a previous interview. "What one person may say is a simple question, someone else may interpret as coercion — because, guess what, it's coming from your boss requesting that you do something that is not particularly proper, as in, send him pictures or meet him at particular locations."A source close to the Santos-Aviles family told 24sight News in October that the late staffer had confided in them about the relationship. "She said, 'I need your advice — I've really screwed up,'" they told the publication. "It's a very tragic situation because, in my opinion, Tony took advantage of a young woman without regard for the consequences."Gonzales denied the affair in an interview with a Punchbowl News reporter in November. "The rumors are completely untruthful," he said. He and his office have not responded to requests from CBS News for comment on this story.Santos-Aviles' mother, Nora Gonzales, also denied her daughter was in a relationship with the congressman, telling the New York Post the accusations were "completely false." Lawyer denies extortion claimGonzales responded indirectly to the allegations on Thursday by posting to X an excerpt from a letter from Barrera, with the caption: "I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED. Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death."Barrera claimed that what Gonzales is characterizing as extortion was in fact a standard confidential settlement letter sent to the congressman's attorney, not to Gonzales himself, outlining claims under the Congressional Accountability Act. That law, passed in the 1990s, governs workplace rights for congressional employees."Any claim of extortion implies that he actually did something wrong and that we want money to keep our mouth shut," Barrera said. "But what he's failed to acknowledge is that he had this affair. It shocks the conscience that he would do this, with the exception that he's trying to play the victim once again."In the letter Gonzales posted — which Barrera claims was cropped before being made public — Barrera had proposed a settlement that would include a non-disclosure agreement for $300,000, the maximum recoverable under the Congressional Accountability Act. Barrera said the amount was not arbitrary, noting it also corresponds to standard homeowners insurance policy limits. He also claimed Gonzales "clearly cropped" the letter before posting it publicly, omitting what he said described "substantial evidence that we had of sexual harassment and retaliation harassment in the office with Regina.""Our claim is legitimate. Our facts are legitimate. Our allegations are truthful," Barrera said. Attorney says Santos-Aviles' mental health declinedBarrera described a sharp decline in Santos-Aviles' mental health following the alleged end of the relationship — something Barrera attribu