Texas medical assistant arrested in connection to clinics accused of
providing illegal abortions
[March 19, 2025]
By NADIA LATHAN
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A second person has been arrested in connection to
a Texas midwife who is accused of providing illegal abortions at a
network of clinics operated outside of the Houston area.
Jose Manuel Cendan Ley, a 29-year-old medical assistant, is accused of
performing an illegal abortion and practicing without a license at a
clinic in connection to Maria Margarita Rojas whose arrest was announced
Monday by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Court records show Ley was arrested on March 6, released on bond a few
days later, then arrested again Monday.
Rojas, 48, was also charged with providing an illegal abortion and
practicing medicine without a license, which are second- and
third-degree felonies. She is accused of operating three clinics
northwest of Houston that performed illegal abortion procedures. Her
arrest signified the first time authorities have filed criminal charges
under the state’s near-total abortion ban.
The attorney general's office is alleging that Ley worked as a medical
assistant at one of Rojas’ three clinics and performed at least one
abortion illegally. In an announcement on Tuesday, the office states
that Ley is a Cuban national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and
was later placed on parole. Rubildo Labanino Matos, 54, was also
arrested in connection to the investigation for practicing medicine
without a license, according to Paxton's office.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in
Dallas, June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
 “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,” Paxton said in a statement. “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.”
Court records did not list an attorney for Ley or Rojas who could
comment on their behalf.
Those convicted of performing an illegal abortion can face up to 20
years in prison, while practicing medicine without a license carries
a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Texas law bans an abortion at all stages of a pregnancy and only
allows exceptions when a patient has a life-threatening condition,
making it one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation.
Opponents of the ban say it is too vague when defining allowable
medical exceptions. A state lawmaker has filed a bill that aims to
clarify when medical exceptions are allowed under the law.
Earlier this year, a Louisiana grand jury indicted a New York doctor
on charges that she illegally prescribed abortion pills online to a
Louisiana resident. Paxton has filed a civil lawsuit against the
doctor under a similar accusation.
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