(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Scandal-laden Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, reportedly gave a generous raise to the late aide he allegedly had an affair with and later burned herself when the relationship was exposed.
Congressional records show Gonzales’s office paid Regina Santos-Aviles thousands in additional pay in 2024, the same year the two allegedly became romantically involved, according to the Uvalde Leader News.
The salary increases amounted to a 26% boost but were halted after Santos-Aviles’s husband, Adrian Aviles, became aware of the alleged relationship, the outlet reported.
In sum, her annual base salary rose from $47,500 to $68,000 from December 2021 until her death on Sept. 14, 2025. According to the outlet, the raises were not extended to Santos-Aviles’s colleagues, despite holding the same position.
As reported by the Uvalde Leader News:
“Between 2022 and 2023, her quarterly pay increased from just under $12,000 to $13,500, according to statements of disbursement published by the House of Representatives — a roughly 13% raise. That year, Paula Michelle Fagan made $14,500 per quarter. When Benjamin Shipkey took over Fagan’s position, he made $14,000 per quarter, and got $7,500 in ‘other compensation’ for his first quarter.”
In 2024, Santos-Aviles’s quarterly base salary jumped to $17,000, bringing her total reported income to $73,000. That figure was $19,000, or 35%, more than her total salary a year earlier.
Details of Santos-Aviles’s salary surface as Gonzales faces growing calls to resign from Congress following her death. Her widow, Adrian Aviles, described her suicide as the result of emotional turmoil after the alleged affair became public.
In addition, reporting in recent weeks has surfaced alleging text messages between Santos-Aviles and Gonzales in which Gonzales reportedly referenced anal sex, asked about her favorite sexual position, and requested a “sexy” photo.
Several GOP lawmakers have demanded that Gonzales resign or suspend his re-election campaign amid the scandal.
News — Tony Gonzales, facing scandal, told me: “I will not resign.”
I asked him if the texts are authentic and if he had carried on an affair with a staffer. He would not directly say.
“What you have seen are not all the facts.”
He plans to speak with Johnson today pic.twitter.com/C2S99zOQ8j
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 24, 2026
Gonzales has denied having an affair with Santos-Aviles and claimed he is being extorted by Aviles’s attorney, Bobby Herrera.
In statements to the media, Herrera clarified that he only reached out to Gonzales’s attorneys to propose a potential settlement under the Congressional Accountability Act, which governs workplace rights and protections against harassment for congressional staffers.
