Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday that he has indicted and arrested eight more people affiliated with a network of Houston-area clinics, allegedly performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without proper medical licenses.
The new arrests come after 49-year-old Maria Rojas was arrested in March for allegedly illegally operating those clinics, practicing medicine without a license, and performing illegal abortions. Rojas, a midwife known as “Dr. Maria,” has since been indicted on 15 felony counts, including illegal performance of an abortion and twelve counts of practicing medicine without a license.
During the subsequent investigation, eight individuals — including Yaimara Hernandez Alvarez, Alina Valeron Leon, Dalia Coromoto Yanez, Yhonder Lebrun Acosta, Liunet Grandales Estrada, Gerardo Otero Aguero, Sabiel Bosch Gongora, and Jose Manuel Cendan Ley — were indicted for practicing medicine without a license under Rojas. Several of the arrested individuals are foreign nationals, Paxton said.
“This cabal of abortion-loving radicals has been running illegal clinics staffed with unlicensed individuals who endangered the very people they pretended to help,” Paxton said in a statement. “Beyond being illegal, it is evil. These dens of fake doctors will not be allowed to operate in Texas. Those responsible will be held accountable. I will always protect innocent life and use every tool to enforce Texas’s pro-life laws.”
Rojas allegedly posed as a physician while operating clinics in Waller, Cypress, Spring, and Katy, according to the attorney general. Court orders have since prohibited her and her network of clinics and affiliates from practicing or performing abortions during the case.
Her arrest was the first criminal charges brought under the state’s near-total abortion restriction, Paxton said.
Unlawful performance of an abortion is a second-degree felony in Texas and can result in up to 20 years in prison. Under the Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021, the attorney general may also seek civil penalties of at least $100,000 per violation for the illegal performance of an abortion.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
