WASHINGTON — A staff member for Representative Tony Gonzales conceded to a romantic involvement with the Texas legislator through a text message to a colleague, months before she tragically ended her life by self-immolation.
In the early hours of April 28, 2025, Regina Santos-Aviles seemingly confessed to the affair, stating, “I had [an] affair with our boss and I’m fine,” as per a screenshot of the conversation obtained by The Post.
The San Antonio Express-News initially reported Santos-Aviles’ revelation and subsequently retracted its endorsement of Gonzales for the March 3 Republican primary, asserting that the congressman “has questions to answer.”
On September 13, Santos-Aviles doused herself in gasoline and ignited the flames in the backyard of her residence in Uvalde, Texas.
At 35, Santos-Aviles was a wife and mother, serving as a regional director for Gonzales in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. This district encompasses much of the western part of Texas along the border with Mexico, including the outer western areas of San Antonio.
Gonzales, currently campaigning for a fourth term in the House this November, responded to the affair allegations, first reported by the Daily Mail, by dismissing them as “people throwing rocks at me, saying I’m doing nasty things.”
“In politics, you better have thick skin,” he told local station KSAT this past November during The Texas Tribune Festival. “I totally get that, but the rumors are completely untruthful.”
Attempts to contact the married Gonzales, 45, were not immediately successful Wednesday morning.
This past October, Regina’s mother claimed to The Post that reports of her daughter’s affair with Gonzales taking place after she split from husband Adrian Aviles were also “completely false.”
“I don’t think it has any merit,” she said at the time.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office decided in December to seal 911 calls, police reports and other video of the tragic suicide in response to media requests.
Javier Guerra, an attorney for Adrian Aviles, has said that his client had expressed concern about his late wife’s private records being released.
