Two women sue Matt Gaetz and two others in federal court over alleged sex trafficking

Left · 1Two women have filed a federal civil lawsuit accusing former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz of taking part in a sex trafficking operation while he was in Congress, the Miami Herald reported on Thursday. 1 Left · 1The 33-page complaint was filed on Monday in the Middle District of Florida by attorney Spencer Kuvin on behalf of two women identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. 2 Left · 1It also names former Florida lawmaker Christopher Dorworth and Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, as defendants. 2

Centre · 1Newsweek adds that the suit also seeks damages from Greenberg Dental Associates LLC and other companies affiliated with Greenberg's family. 3 Left · 2The complaint alleges the defendants exploited financially vulnerable women through paid sexual encounters and drugs, and arranged travel for them; the alleged incidents took place between 2017 and January 2019. 1 2 Left · 1The suit says Greenberg recruited the women through the website SeekingArangement.com, introducing them to a network that included Gaetz and Dorworth, and that the defendants supplied controlled substances at parties and private residences to facilitate commercial sex. 2

Mixed · 2The plaintiffs further allege the defendants arranged or funded travel to Miami, Las Vegas, the Florida Keys and New York City. 3 2 Left · 1Jane Doe 1 was 20 and Jane Doe 2 was 22 when introduced to Gaetz in the summer of 2017, and the suit alleges the defendants used the age gap to manipulate the women and maintain secrecy. 2 Left · 1According to the complaint, Jane Doe 1 received more than $6,000 from Gaetz and Jane Doe 2 received over $4,000, with payment descriptions including "Being my friend," "car deductible" and "Love you." 2

Left · 1Jane Doe 1 also alleges she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl, identified as "Victim A," who is not a plaintiff. 2 Centre · 1The complaint also cites more than 150 transactions totalling over $70,000 that Greenberg allegedly used to pay women for commercial sex acts between December 2016 and December 2018, some charged to a government office American Express card with descriptions such as "school" and "ice cream." 3 Left · 2Gaetz said in a statement that "much of the conduct alleged against me is false" and that he looks forward to taking the plaintiffs' depositions. 1 2

Left · 1He said the lawsuit "relies almost exclusively on a Congressional Committee report that didn't allow me to confront my accusers," and that he will now have that chance. 2 Centre · 1The plaintiffs' attorney, Spencer Kuvin, told Newsweek that Gaetz and the other defendants "should be criminally prosecuted," and argued that an initial agreement to spend time with a wealthy, powerful man does not rule out exploitation, saying sex trafficking "can involve fraud, coercion, financial manipulation, and the abuse of vulnerability." 3 Left · 1Raw Story says the suit draws heavily on a House Ethics Committee investigation, reviving a scandal that helped derail Gaetz's nomination as President Donald Trump's attorney general. 1

Centre · 1The House Ethics Committee's December 2024 report found substantial evidence that Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct, citing alleged payments for sex, sexual activity involving a minor, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts and obstruction; Gaetz withdrew as attorney general nominee in November 2024 and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. 3 Centre · 1Newsweek notes that Gaetz, 44, has since worked in media and was appointed to the Triumph Gulf Coast Board, and stresses that the allegations have not been established in court and that Greenberg's conviction does not by itself establish liability for the other defendants. 3 Left · 1Greenberg is serving an 11-year federal prison sentence after a 2021 guilty plea to charges including sex trafficking of a minor, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, stalking and conspiracy. 2