Houston-area midwife, employee charged with violating Texas abortion laws, practicing medicine without a license

A midwife and her employee have been charged with illegally performing abortions at a Houston-area health clinic. These are the first criminal charges to be filed in the state under Texas’ abortion law.

48-year-old Maria Margarita Rojas, a certified nurse midwife, and her employee, 29-year-old Jose Ley, were charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony that comes with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and practicing medicine without a license.

Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a Monday press release that Rojas owned and operated several clinics in Waller, Cypress, and Spring, which "unlawfully employed unlicensed individuals who falsely presented themselves as licensed medical professionals to provide medical treatment." 

Rojas also performed abortions at these clinics in violation of the Texas Human Life Protection Act, which outlaws abortions except in cases where the mother’s health or life is at risk. 

The Healthcare Program Enforcement Division of Paxton’s office has filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down clinics run by Rojas.

"In Texas, life is sacred," Paxton said in response to the arrest of Rojas. "I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted. Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable."

In a press release issued on Tuesday, Paxton said that Ley had been arrested the day prior for performing illegal medical procedures as a medical assistant at Rojas’ Waller clinic, and assisted in providing at least one abortion. Paxton said that Ley entered the country illegally in 2022 and was paroled into the US under the Biden administration. Ley received a green card, per the Texas Tribune.

"Individuals killing unborn babies by performing illegal abortions in Texas will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and I will not rest until justice is served. I will continue to fight to protect life and work to ensure that anyone guilty of violating our state’s pro-life laws is held accountable," Paxton said in response to the arrest of Ley.

In addition, the investigation has led to the arrest of 54-year-old Rubildo Labanino Matos, who was taken into custody on March 8 upon returning to the US from Cuba. He is a nurse practitioner whose license is on probation by the Board of Nursing, Paxton said. He was charged with conspiracy to practice medicine without a license.

The investigation began when a complaint was filed with the state Health and Human Services Commission, which alleged that two women received abortions in Rojas’ Waller clinic, one woman, KP, receiving one at three months pregnant in September 2023, and another woman, DV, receiving one at eight weeks pregnant in January 2025. 

In late January and early February, investigators with Paxton’s office and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office began surveilling Rojas’ clinics, observing a man later identified as Ley working alone as people came in seeking medical care. Ley was licensed to practice medicine in Cuba, but not in the United States. 

Ley told investigators that he would see patients and then consult over a tablet with someone he believed to be Matos, and signed forms with Matos’ name. Matos was reportedly under an agreed order from the Texas Board of Nursing over the negligent treatment of a patient at another clinic. In Texas, nurse practitioners are required to have a practice agreement with a licensed physician, which Matos reportedly did not have in place for Rojas’ clinics. 

DV came forward in late February, identifying Rojas as the person who performed her abortion. An investigator on March 3 observed a young couple entering one of Rojas’ clinics when only Ley was inside. Later, Rojas arrived, and the investigator said when the couple left the clinic it was clear that the woman had a medical procedure performed.

A search warrant was obtained on March 5 for Rojas, Matos, and Ley, during which misoprostol, and abortion-inducing drug, and ultrasound machines, forceps, and other medical supplies were found.