WASHINGTON — An aide to Rep. Tony Gonzales admitted that she had an affair with the Texas Republican in a text message to a colleague — months before she fatally set herself on fire.
Regina Santos-Aviles appeared to acknowledge the tryst early on the morning of April 28, 2025, saying: “I had [an] affair with our boss and I’m fine,” according to a screenshot of the exchange obtained by The Post.
Santos-Aviles’ confession to her co-worker was first reported by the San Antonio Express-News, which subsequently withdrew its endorsement of Gonzales in the March 3 GOP primary, saying the congressman “has questions to answer.”
On Sept. 13, 2025, Santos-Aviles covered herself in gasoline before lighting herself ablaze in the backyard of her Uvalde, Texas, home.
The 35-year-old wife and mother of one worked as a regional director for Gonzales in the Lone Star State’s 23rd Congressional District, which comprises much of the area of west Texas bordering Mexico, including the western outskirts of San Antonio.
The colleague of Santos-Aviles, who provided the message to The Post and who no longer works for Gonzales, told the Express-News the affair became known among the congressman’s staff members during the 2024 election cycle.
That May, the person said, Santos-Aviles called them in tears because her husband, Adrian Aviles, had discovered text messages between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles confirming the affair and texted a group of local staffers to expose the relationship.
After that, in the former staffer’s words, Santos-Aviles “went from the number one employee in the office to nothing.” Gonzales canceled meetings arranged by his regional director and Santos-Aviles no longer accompanied him on visits to Uvalde.
“She talked about Tony every day,” the former staffer told the Express-News, recalling that he went to Gonzales district director Jalen Falcon in June 2025 with concerns about Santos-Aviles’ mental well-being.
Gonzales, who is running for a fourth House term this November, has said that the purported fling, which was first reported by the Daily Mail in October, was just “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. “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, Santos-Aviles’ mother claimed to The Post that reports of her daughter’s affair with Gonzales taking place after she split from Aviles were “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.
