Latest news with #Houston-Area
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Houston midwife accused of illegal abortions appeals clinic closures
A Houston-area midwife accused of performing illegal abortions has laid out the case for her innocence for the first time, alleging in an appeal filed Monday that the Texas Attorney General's office was so desperate to prosecute an abortion case that it 'conducted a shoddy investigation and leapt to wild conclusions.' 'The Attorney General boasts that he has caught a 'Houston-Area Abortionist' and has shut down 'Clinics Providing Illegal Abortions,'' the appeal begins. 'But there's a snag: it isn't true.' Maria Rojas, a 48-year-old native of Peru who ran a string of health clinics for primarily low-income and Spanish-speaking clientele, is asking the First Court of Appeals to overturn a temporary injunction that prevents her from practicing medicine or operating her clinics. Rojas was arrested twice in March, first on charges of practicing medicine without a license and then on additional charges of performing an illegal abortion. She is the first person arrested under Texas' near-total abortion ban, which comes with up to life in prison and $100,000 fines. She has not yet been formally indicted on these criminal charges. But in the meantime, the Office of the Attorney General brought a civil suit asking a judge to shut down her clinics and bar her from practicing. A Waller County judge granted the temporary injunction in late March. 'This is a critical win in our fight to uphold Texas law, protect the unborn, and protect all Texans from dangerous clinics practicing medicine without a license,' Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement at the time. 'Rojas and her network of illegal clinics operated with blatant disregard for the law, putting people's lives at risk.' Her lawyers now argue the injunction was improper because it didn't explain why it was necessary or what it prohibited, and it didn't set a trial date. They assert that there is no evidence that Rojas practiced medicine without a license, as opposed to providing services consistent with a midwife, and question why the chief investigator was not present at the hearing to be questioned. Rojas is represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, a New York-based nonprofit law firm that has led high-profile lawsuits against state abortion bans, including in Texas. In the appeal, Rojas' attorneys raise questions about whether the woman investigators claim underwent an illegal abortion was actually treated for a miscarriage. The appeal asserts that Rojas told the woman her pregnancy would not be successful and gave her a low dose of misoprostol — a treatment regimen appropriate for managing a miscarriage, not inducing an abortion. The lawyers questioned why investigators didn't fact-check this woman's story with the data stored on the clinic's ultrasound machine, which they seized as part of the investigation. Rojas' lawyers also questioned whether Paxton has the authority to seek a temporary injunction or bring a lawsuit on behalf of the state in an abortion-related case. Texas' abortion ban has criminal and civil penalties, but does not explicitly allow the Attorney General to pursue injunctive relief or file suit on behalf of the state, the appeal says. The Office of the Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment. The state has filed a motion to transfer the appeal to the 15th Court of Appeals, a new court specifically for lawsuits by or against the state. That motion is unopposed but still pending. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Feds crack down on Bandido Motorcycle Gang after 6-year investigation
The Brief The 22-year-RICO indictment names 10 defendants Crimes alleged include arson, robbery, assault, and murder. Indictment alleges Bandidos sought to maintain by force Houston-Area monopoly over Motorcycle Clubs. HOUSTON - "Violent, brazen and vicious" - all words used by Federal agents to describe the Bandidos, a motorcycle gang which has waged war on rivals challenging their so-called "monopoly" in the Greater Houston area. What we know U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei says the 22-count felony racketeering indictment announced Wednesday caps a six-year investigation into crimes including arson, assault, robbery and murder, all allegedly perpetrated by members of the Bandidos in an ongoing "turf war" to maintain dominance over a gang known as "The Beast". Ganjei says the violence was often indiscriminate, threatening the safety of the public. Get news, weather and so much more on the new FOX LOCAL app What they're saying "The Bandidos sought to exert a monopoly on motorcycle clubs and gangs in the Houston area which could only operate with their blessing and their permission. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the criminal conduct alleged in this case was how open and brazen it was. The alleged assaults and shootings took place in public spaces in bars, in restaurants, motorcycle dealership, and on our public roads," said Ganjei. Dig deeper Over the past five years, FOX 26 has reported multiple acts of violence involving the Bandidos and their rivals including ambush-style attacks and multiple fatalities. FBI Special-Agent-in-Charge Douglas Williams told reporters the Bandidos were operating under a standing order the group's national leadership to attack rival "Beast" members on sight. "Make no mistake, members of this chapter are not the glamorized characters you have seen in TV shows and in the movies. These are vicious, violent men who regularly put innocent people in life-threatening situations to further a senseless turf war," said Williams. Among those arrested and charged was the President of the "Welcome to Hell" chapter based in Katy. Ganjei says, if convicted, many of the ten defendants charged face a maximum sentence of life in prison. The Source FOX 26 Reporter Greg Groogan has more on the crackdown after speaking with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
