Texas medical assistant arrested in connection to clinics accused of providing illegal abortions

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.

“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.

Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas, June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

The NHL has met with a group led by billionaire Dan Friedkin to discuss its interest in bringing an expansion team to Houston, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed Thursday night in an email to The Associated Press.

Friedkin, who has a net worth of $6.4 billion, according to Forbes, recently bought 98.8% interest in English Premier League club Everton. With his son Ryan, the Houston-based Friedkin Group has investments in the automotive industry, entertainment, hospitality and sports.

A message sent to the Friedkin Group seeking comment was not immediately returned. ESPN reported that Friedkin had become a leading candidate for a franchise if the league decides to expand beyond 32 teams.

Commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly said the league is not currently in a formal expansion process. Multiple groups in Atlanta also expressed interest in giving hockey in Georgia's capital a third try.

Bettman told The AP in September the NHL would seek a very targeted process, if expanding at all.

“If somebody checks all the boxes and wants to move forward, then I’ll take it first to the executive committee and see if there’s an interest,” Bettman said at the time. “What we’re not going to do is what we did in prior times and say ‘(There is) a lot of interest, if you want to file an application, do it by this date and we’ll consider all the applications together.’ This is going to be a one off, if we do it at all.”

Expansion did not come up during Bettman's news conference Wednesday wrapping up the annual general managers spring meeting in Florida.

Ryan Smith's group a little over a year ago announced its interest in an expansion team in Utah. A few months later, the Smith Entertainment Group bought the Arizona Coyotes from previous owner Alex Meruelo and relocated them to Salt Lake City where they are known as the Utah Hockey Club for this season.

The NHL's most recent forays into Vegas and Seattle, with increasing expansion fees that could next time be close to $1 billion, have been so successful as to spur talk of going to 33 and then at some point 34 teams. Before the Golden Knights in 2017, the league had not expanded since 2000 when the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild entered the league.

Friedkin, who made his fortune distributing Toyotas in Texas, was reportedly also considering a bid for the NBA’s Boston Celtics before they were sold on Thursday.

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FILE - Dan Friedkin stands prior to the Italian Serie A soccer match on Dec. 17, 2020, between Roma and Torino at Rome's Olympic stadium. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP,File)

FILE - The Houston skyline overlooks the Buffalo Bayou as it snakes its' way into downtown Friday, April 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan,File)