Matt Gaetz faces lawsuit alleging involvement in sex trafficking scheme

Two women filed a lawsuit in Florida this week accusing former Representative Matt Gaetz of coordinating a sex trafficking scheme involving drugs. The women, who are unnamed, filed the complaint in the Middle District of Florida on Monday, alleging that Gaetz and two associates exploited vulnerable young women by paying them for sexual encounters and providing them with drugs. According to the complaint, Gaetz paid the two plaintiffs approximately $10,000 for sexual encounters while he was in Congress. One of the women was 20, and the other was 22 when they were introduced to Gaetz in 2017. One of the women alleged that she witnessed Gaetz engaging in sexual activity with a girl who was 17 at the time. Joel Greenberg and Christopher Dorworth, Gaetz’s associates, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit and are accused of coordinating sexual encounters for Gaetz and other political figures. Greenberg is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence in Florida for sex trafficking and fraud convictions. Gaetz stated that "much of the conduct" he is accused of is false. He expressed his intention to take the plaintiffs’ depositions, asserting that the lawsuit relies heavily on a Congressional Committee report that did not allow him to confront his accusers. The lawsuit claims that the defendants "collectively used their public office, power, and wealth to prey on the economic vulnerability of Plaintiffs to commit the acts." Gaetz served in the House from 2017 through 2024 and resigned after President Donald Trump nominated him to serve as attorney general. That nomination was withdrawn following allegations of sexual misconduct detailed in a House Ethics Committee report. The report, released in December 2024, stated there was "substantial evidence" that Gaetz had paid several women, including at least one minor, for sex and had violated Florida laws prohibiting prostitution and sexual activity with a minor.