Forensic extraction of a dead congressional staffer’s phone has revealed text messages containing explicit sexual demands from a sitting congressman, transforming whispered rumors into documented evidence of workplace harassment that ended in tragedy.
Story Overview
- Text messages show Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) requesting nude photos and making graphic sexual propositions to staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who repeatedly resisted his advances
- Santos-Aviles died by self-immolation in September 2025 after the affair was discovered, her employment terminated, and her marriage collapsed
- Gonzales publicly denied the affair for months before forensic phone extraction provided irrefutable documentation of his explicit messages
- The congressman now faces a Congressional ethics investigation, potential legal action under the Congressional Accountability Act, and calls for resignation from fellow Republicans
- Gonzales claims he’s being blackmailed while the widower’s attorney characterizes their settlement demand as a legitimate legal claim for workplace harassment
When Power Corrupts the Workplace
Regina Santos-Aviles managed 11 of the 23 counties in Gonzales’s Texas district and earned a reputation for excellence. Her colleagues described her as “damn good at what she did.” The congressman who employed her apparently saw something else worth pursuing. Text messages obtained through forensic extraction of her phone show Gonzales sending requests like “send me a sexy pic” alongside fantasies about sexual positions and crude propositions. Santos-Aviles’s responses, according to her widower’s attorney Robert Barrera, consistently signaled discomfort with messages characterized as “clear attempts to say, ‘This is too much, this is too far, this is not right.'”
The Discovery That Changed Everything
Adrian Aviles discovered the sexually explicit text messages between his wife and her boss in May 2024. The revelation shattered more than a marriage. According to reports, Gonzales and his staff immediately engaged in what appears to be textbook workplace retaliation. They severed communications with Santos-Aviles, gave her a month off, and pressured her to resign. The woman who had been “damn good at what she did” found herself isolated, unemployed, and watching her personal life disintegrate. Depression followed. Her marriage crumbled under the weight of the affair’s exposure. By September 2025, Regina Santos-Aviles set herself on fire in Uvalde, Texas.
Denial, Accusation, and Documented Truth
Gonzales dismissed affair rumors as “completely untruthful” at the Texas Tribune Festival in November 2025. The denial strategy collapsed when the San Antonio Express-News published initial reporting in February 2026 based on text messages from a former staffer. Gonzales pivoted to offense, accusing Santos-Aviles’s widower of blackmail and sharing a partial email screenshot showing a settlement demand reaching $300,000. Adrian Aviles fired back on social media, denying any blackmail and describing a “consistent pattern of evasion, refusal to take accountability, and outright lies.” Then journalist Juliegrace Brufke released the forensically extracted messages containing Gonzales’s explicit sexual requests, transforming the congressman’s denials into demonstrable falsehoods.
The Hypocrisy Problem
Gonzales campaigned on family values and Christian morals. This common political branding makes his documented behavior particularly damaging. Voters who supported him based on professed moral standards now face evidence contradicting those claims. The San Antonio Express-News withdrew their endorsement. Republican state representative Wes Vidrell called for his resignation. Primary challenger Brandon Herrera, whom Gonzales accused of exploiting the scandal, described the behavior as “completely unacceptable” and also demanded resignation. When fellow Republicans abandon you, the political math turns brutal. Conservative voters value authenticity and accountability, not empty rhetoric masking predatory workplace conduct.
Legal Consequences Versus Political Spin
Barrera characterizes the settlement demand as a legitimate legal claim under the Congressional Accountability Act, which specifically addresses discrimination, harassment, and labor violations in congressional offices. Gonzales frames the same communication as blackmail. The partial email screenshot he shared lacks sufficient context for independent verification of his characterization. What remains undisputed is that a congressman with power over an employee’s career made explicit sexual demands documented in forensically extracted text messages. That employee subsequently lost her job, her marriage deteriorated, and she died by suicide. Barrera emphasized that Santos-Aviles is “dead because of the emotional consequences she suffered.” Whether courts find causation remains uncertain, but the timeline speaks clearly enough.
Accountability in Question
A Congressional ethics investigation launched in November 2025. Gonzales’s office never responded to the inquiry. The forensic evidence arrived too late for Santos-Aviles but not too late for accountability. The Congressional Accountability Act exists precisely for situations where power dynamics make traditional workplace protections inadequate. Congressional staff members work at the pleasure of their employers with limited recourse when harassment occurs. This case illustrates why those protections matter. The messages Barrera obtained would support a sexual harassment claim in any workplace. Congress shouldn’t operate by different standards than the private sector workplaces it regulates.
The scandal unfolds during Gonzales’s primary election cycle, giving voters the opportunity to render their own judgment. Democratic institutions function when citizens hold representatives accountable for conduct contradicting professed values. Whether through resignation, electoral defeat, legal settlement, or Congressional ethics sanctions, consequences should follow documented abuse of power. Regina Santos-Aviles cannot speak for herself. The forensically extracted text messages speak volumes.
Sources:
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales accuses family of dead staffer of blackmail amid affair accusations
Rep. Tony Gonzales had affair with aide, texts suggest. She later died by suicide.
Attorney: U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales had affair with aide who died by suicide
