Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez faces renewed scrutiny after court documents revealed he once paid for a mistress’s abortion in the 1990s—despite later prosecuting a woman for having one.
New filings in the $1 million civil rights lawsuit brought by Lizelle Gonzalez against Ramirez and other Starr County officials disclose explosive allegations from depositions of sisters Rosita and Becky Rocha. Both women say they had affairs with Ramirez. Becky testified that Ramirez impregnated her in the late 1990s, pressured her to terminate the pregnancy for the sake of his career, and paid for the abortion. Rosita corroborated the account, stating she made the appointment and accompanied her sister to the procedure, after which Ramirez took them out to dinner.
The disclosures come as part of Gonzalez’s case against Ramirez, Assistant District Attorney Alexandria Barrera, and Sheriff Rene Fuentes. Gonzalez was arrested in April 2022 after taking abortion pills at 19 weeks of pregnancy, when hospital staff reported her to law enforcement. Despite Texas law explicitly prohibiting the prosecution of women for their own abortions under Penal Code § 19.06, Ramirez pursued a murder charge. Gonzalez spent three days in jail before the charges were dropped amid national backlash.
According to Rosita’s deposition, Ramirez called her while Gonzalez was in custody and asked about her past abortion. She reminded him that he had funded Becky’s abortion decades earlier, urging him to reconsider his actions against Gonzalez.
Disciplinary Action and Civil Suit
The State Bar of Texas disciplined Ramirez in January 2024, fining him $1,250 and placing his law license on a one-year probated suspension for prosecutorial misconduct. He admitted that he pursued a charge not supported by probable cause.
Nonetheless, Ramirez now argues that he and other Starr County officials are shielded from Gonzalez’s lawsuit by prosecutorial and official immunity. A federal judge rejected their motion to dismiss earlier this year, ruling the case could move forward.
Gonzalez, represented by the ACLU, ACLU of Texas, and Garza Martinez law firm, contends the prosecution was a knowing abuse of power. Her attorneys argue that Ramirez’s past conduct undermines his defense: “He clearly knew abortion was not a crime when he personally facilitated one.”
Fallout and Broader Implications
The revelation of Ramirez’s personal involvement in an abortion underscores what legal advocates call a double standard in abortion-related prosecutions. While GOP lawmakers have long insisted that abortion bans do not target pregnant women themselves, Gonzalez’s arrest showed otherwise.
Discovery in the case has revealed deleted text messages, emails, and sworn statements suggesting Starr County officials ignored warnings from investigators and attorneys that the charge was legally unsupportable.
Text messages show Ramirez admitted privately that indicting Gonzalez was a mistake that could cost him his career: “I should have never indicted her. Because it’s not Murder in Texas.”
The ACLU maintains the case highlights the dangers of prosecutorial overreach. Gonzalez, whose mugshot was widely circulated during her arrest, is now seeking damages for the trauma and reputational harm she endured.
If successful, the lawsuit could set a precedent for accountability when public officials use criminal law to enforce personal or political views.
