Another employee has been arrested in the investigation into several Houston-area clinics where investigators say abortions were performed illegally.
Maria Margarita Rojas, who was known as “Dr. Maria,” was arrested earlier this month in Waller County and charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony, as well as practicing medicine without a license. It is believed that Rojas operated multiple clinics under the names Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.
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On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrest of Rubildo Labanino Matos, 54, on March 8 upon returning to the U.S. from Cuba. Matos, a nurse practitioner whose license is currently on probation by the Board of Nursing, faces charges of conspiracy to practice medicine without a license.
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In connection with this investigation, Jose Manuel Cendan Ley, 29, was also arrested on March 17 for the unlawful performance of an abortion and the unlicensed practice of medicine.
Ley, a medical assistant at Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, allegedly performed illegal medical procedures and assisted Rojas in providing at least one illegal abortion.
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Ley is a Cuban national who entered the U.S. without documentation in 2022 and was later paroled under policies enacted by the Biden administration.
“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,” Attorney General Paxton said in a statement announcing the new arrests.
The investigation that led to these arrests is still ongoing.
