27 Oct Ramón Ayala Jr. arrested on sexual assault charge; father’s attorney responds

Ramón Ayala Jr., whose father is norteño star Ramón Ayala, was arrested Friday, Oct. 23, on a sexual assault charge and left jail the same day on a $2,000 bond, Hidalgo County jail records show.

Tony Buzbee, the Houston attorney who represents former band members and touring workers suing Ayala Jr., told MySA, a San Antonio news outlet, that Ayala Jr. surrendered to Hidalgo police once a warrant was issued.

Police first heard about the allegation June 3, according to court documents. A man reported that on Aug. 10, 2025, he was at Ayala Sr.’s residence and aboard the tour bus “El Bravo” when Ayala Jr. sexually assaulted him, and that he pushed Ayala Jr. away. Investigators went through reports, witness statements and other evidence before concluding that Ayala Jr. committed the offense, the documents state. The man has not been named, and reports did not say whether he is one of the plaintiffs in the civil cases.

Those lawsuits were filed by former members of Ramón Ayala y Sus Bravos del Norte, the group the elder Ayala founded, and by other touring workers. In three of them, the plaintiffs allege Ayala Jr. sexually assaulted and harassed them on tour during 2024 and 2025. The suits also name his father, the band and the company that runs it. KRGV reported that a fourth lawsuit has been filed.

Ray Thomas, Ayala Sr.’s attorney, disputes the charge. He said the accuser’s account differs from something the man said earlier and that the man denies what the complaint describes. Thomas also contended that Buzbee engineered the charge to strengthen the civil cases and push Ayala Sr. toward a settlement. The Ayalas want to contest the claims in court, he said, adding that an arrest is not a finding of guilt.

Back in May, the Ayalas’ lawyers called the conduct alleged in the lawsuits consensual roughhousing, MySA reported. The accusers say it was forceful and unwanted.

Buzbee wrote on Facebook that the band’s attorneys had labeled the lawsuits a bid for money and targeted his clients and him personally. He called the criminal case a step forward and said he will assist investigators while pressing the lawsuits.

Trials in two of the civil cases are scheduled for Dec. 7 and Jan. 19, and a third case is on the docket March 23, 2027.