Just days after announcing he would not seek re-election, Texas state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione is at the center of a scandal involving allegations of a long-term affair and secretly funding multiple abortions—despite his vocal opposition to abortion rights.
Capriglione, a Republican who has represented District 98 since 2012, is accused by a former exotic dancer named Alex Grace of carrying on a 17-year relationship during which he paid her for private meetings and helped finance abortions she underwent. Grace shared her story in an interview with Current Revolt.
Grace says she first met Capriglione in 2004 at the club where she worked. “I was a young mom trying to make ends meet through dancing,” she recalled. “I didn’t expect someone like him to take such a strong interest in me.”
Over time, she said their relationship deepened and included regular gifts and large sums of cash. In one instance, she claimed Capriglione instructed her to retrieve an envelope of money from behind a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. “He said it would be under a rubber mat near the dumpster—and it was,” she said.
Most notably, Grace accused the lawmaker of personally funding several abortions throughout their time together. She said his private actions stood in stark contrast to the public image he cultivated.
“He talks tough about abortion, but I know firsthand he paid for more than one,” Grace said. “That kind of hypocrisy is why I’m speaking out now.”
Capriglione has long positioned himself as a staunch pro-life advocate. He supported Texas’ 2021 “trigger law” that banned nearly all abortions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He also backed laws enabling civil penalties for anyone aiding in an abortion.
In a statement released on July 25, Capriglione admitted to an extramarital affair in the past but adamantly denied Grace’s claims about abortion payments.
“I made a terrible mistake years ago when I had an affair. I’ve owned that, and I’m grateful to my wife and family for forgiving me,” he said. “But I have never, and would never, pay for an abortion.”
He denounced the allegations as politically driven and defamatory, vowing to sue both Grace and Current Revolt. “Media outlets can’t hide behind free speech when they promote lies,” he said, referencing the recent Fox-Dominion defamation settlement.
Despite his earlier announcement that he won’t run for re-election, Capriglione said he intends to finish his term, which ends in January 2027.
“I’m not backing down,” he said. “These kinds of attacks won’t stop me from standing firm on my values and doing my job.”
