Houston-area midwife accused of performing illegal abortions posts bond, invokes fifth amendment on the stand

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Maria Rojas appeared emotionless before posting bond Thursday and repeatedly invoked the fifth amendment while she was on the stand during her injunction hearing.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Houston-area midwife arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions, operating unlicensed clinics

Rojas is the Houston-area midwife arrested earlier this month after investigators say she performed an illegal abortion at her clinic and practiced medicine without a license. Records show her medical license is currently suspended, but was set to expire in February 2026.

KPRC 2′s Jaewon Jung was present at court Thursday morning, where Rojas retained attorneys Katherine Triestman and Marc Hearron on this civil matter, who were in court, presided under Waller County Judge Gary Chaney.

Last week, a judge granted a temporary restraining order filed by the Texas Attorney General’s Office to shut down the medical clinics Rojas owned.

The hearing started off incendiary with Amy Hilton from the AG Office’s questioning if Rojas attorneys were licensed to practice in the State of Texas (they are).

Treistman, on Rojas’ defense team, meanwhile argued the entire basis of this case is based on an anonymous tip and asked for 14 days to get all information.

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Judge Chaney then asked since “criminal statute is relatively new,” is there anything he should know about confidentiality?

Hilton said the alleged victim information should be private, while Treistman argued she should know all information before moving forward. Hilton also said during the injunction she plans to call Rojas to the stand to ask her directly about performing illegal abortion on the dates listed on the affidavit.

Treistman replied saying “it’s not a secret she will plead the fifth” and also argues the TRO is too broad because her clinics have other licensed medical professionals and receptionists who work on other medical care who can’t work right now and serve the community. Judge Chaney told Treistman, however, she “can’t have her cake and eat it too.”

Attorneys on both sides decided to move forward on Thursday’s hearing with Hilton adding they have unredacted copies of the complaints if defendant attorneys want to look at that. She also asked, during her opening statements, to move a number of documents as court exhibits; the first one was the anonymous complaint made to Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) about two people getting abortions at Rojas’ clinics. The Judge denied it.

Other documents included Secretary of State filings of Rojas clinics’ and screengrabs of Rojas’ websites (before they were taken down. Her defense team argued these documents are not certified, it is hearsay and there is no witness to whom to admit the exhibit. However, the judge admitted most of the exhibits before moving to break.

Rojas was held in Waller County jail on a $1.4 million bond but has since posted bond and just has to obtain an ankle monitor before she can be processed out.

After the break, Rojas was called to the stand, where she invoked her fifth amendment right on every question asked by the AG’s office. At some point, Rojas appeared to smirk, to which Hilton said to the judge, “it looks like she’s enjoying this.”

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