Former Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz is facing a new legal battle after two women filed a federal civil lawsuit accusing him and two associates of participating in an alleged scheme involving paid sexual encounters, drugs and the recruitment of young women.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleges that Gaetz, former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg and former Florida state lawmaker Christopher Dorworth participated in or financially supported a system that exploited vulnerable women between 2017 and January 2019.
In a statement to Newsweek, the attorney representing the two women said he believes Gaetz and the other defendants should face criminal prosecution over their alleged actions.
"We believe that Gaetz and the other named defendants should be criminally prosecuted for their actions. Power and privilege are not a license to exploit the vulnerable," said Spencer Kuvin, the attorney for Jane Does 1 and 2. "We filed suit against former Congressman Matt Gaetz and others to hold them accountable for alleged sex trafficking."
He also issued a blunt warning to the former lawmaker who was once a close ally of President Donald Trump.
"No one is above the law, and no victim should be beneath its protection," Kuvin said.
Gaetz has denied the allegations and said he intends to challenge the plaintiffs' accounts under oath.
"I look forward to taking the plaintiffs' depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false," Gaetz said in a statement to the Miami Herald. He also criticized the reliance on a congressional investigation, arguing that he had not been given an opportunity to confront his accusers during that process.
The lawsuit marks a new development in a controversy that derailed Gaetz's nomination to serve as U.S. attorney general in 2024 and preceded his resignation from Congress.
Newsweek has reached out to Gaetz via OAN.
...
Attorney Says Alleged Exploitation Went Beyond Physical Force
Kuvin pushed back against the prospect that Gaetz might characterize the encounters as voluntary, arguing that initial agreement to spend time with a wealthy or powerful man does not necessarily rule out exploitation.
"While Mr. Gaetz will undoubtedly try to paint this as a voluntary activity, the fact that a young woman initially agrees to spend time with a wealthy, powerful man does not give that man a license to exploit her," Kuvin told Newsweek.
"Sex trafficking is not always about kidnapping, chains, or physical force. It can involve fraud, coercion, financial manipulation, and the abuse of vulnerability," he said.
The attorney said the complaint alleges that the defendants exploited young women's financial insecurity and used drugs and promises of money to exert control over them.
"Our complaint alleges that these men deliberately exploited young women's financial insecurity, used drugs and promises of money to control them, and created circumstances in which saying no came at a serious cost. That's precisely why Congress enacted laws to protect trafficking victims," Kuvin said.
The allegations have not been established in court. The defendants' responses and the evidence presented during litigation will be central to determining the outcome.
Lawsuit Alleges Recruitment and Paid Encounters
According to the 33-page complaint, Greenberg recruited women through the website SeekingArrangement.com and introduced them to a group of men that included Gaetz and Dorworth. The plaintiffs allege that drugs were supplied at parties and private residences where sexual encounters took place.
The two women, identified in court documents as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, were 20 and 22, respectively, when they met Gaetz in the summer of 2017, the complaint states. Both allegedly lacked stable incomes when Greenberg recruited them.
The complaint alleges that Gaetz paid the women thousands of dollars. One plaintiff says she received more than $6,000, while the other alleges she received more than $4,000. Some payments reportedly carried descriptions such as "Being my friend," "car deductible" and "Love you."
The plaintiffs further allege that the defendants arranged or funded travel involving Miami, Las Vegas, the Florida Keys and New York City.
One of the women also claims she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl identified in the complaint as "Victim A." That individual is not one of the two plaintiffs.
“At the time of this venture, Gaetz was a sitting member of Congress, holding himself out to be one of President Donald J. Trump’s closest confidants and most loyal supporters,” the lawsuit states.
Greenberg's Criminal Conviction
Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector, is serving an 11-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2021 to multiple offenses, including sex trafficking of a minor, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, stalking and conspiracy.
The new lawsuit cites more than 150 transactions totaling over $70,000 that Greenberg allegedly used to pay women for commercial sex acts between December 2016 and December 2018. According to the complaint, some transactions were charged to a government office American Express card and given descriptions including "school" and "ice cream."
Greenberg's criminal conviction is separate from the civil claims against Gaetz and Dorworth. Allegations against one defendant do not, by themselves, establish the liability of the others.
The lawsuit also seeks damages from Greenberg Dental Associates LLC and other companies affiliated with Greenberg's family.
House Ethics Committee Findings
The civil case follows the release of a House Ethics Committee report in December 2024, which concluded that there was substantial evidence that Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct.
The bipartisan committee's report cited evidence concerning alleged payments for sex, sexual activity involving a minor, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts and obstruction of the investigation.
Gaetz repeatedly denied wrongdoing and challenged the committee's decision to release its findings after he had resigned from Congress.
The investigation became a major political issue in November 2024, when President Donald Trump selected Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew from consideration amid scrutiny of the allegations.
The new civil complaint incorporates findings from the ethics investigation.
Gaetz Says He Will Challenge the Allegations
Gaetz, now 44, has since pursued a career in media and announced a return to public service after being appointed to the Triumph Gulf Coast Board by former Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez. The board oversees the distribution of a $1.5 billion settlement stemming from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Kuvin said he looks forward to questioning Gaetz under oath, while Gaetz has indicated that he intends to challenge the allegations through depositions.
“I look forward to taking the plaintiffs’ depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false," he said in a statement.
“The lawsuit relies almost exclusively on a Congressional Committee report that didn’t allow me to confront my accusers. Now I will finally have that chance.”
The lawsuit seeks to hold Gaetz and the other defendants accountable for the conduct alleged in the complaint. Its progress will depend on the court proceedings, the evidence and the parties' legal arguments.
The filing of a civil lawsuit does not establish that its allegations are true. The claims against Gaetz and the other defendants remain subject to the legal process.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas