Lawsuit filed against Matt Gaetz in the US over sex trafficking — The Hill

In Florida, US, two anonymous women have filed a federal lawsuit against former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz. The defendants also include former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg and former Florida House of Representatives member Chris Dorworth.

The plaintiffs claim that the defendants were involved in a scheme to sexually exploit financially vulnerable young women. As The Hill reports, the lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The women’s names are not disclosed in the document; they were 20 and 22 years old when they met Gaetz.

Claims by the plaintiffs

According to the lawsuit, from the summer of 2017 through December 2019, Gaetz and Greenberg allegedly coordinated the recruitment of women, payments, drugs, and travel in order to obtain commercial sexual services from the plaintiffs and other victims. The document mentions trips to Venice Beach, Miami, Las Vegas, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and New York.

One of the plaintiffs also said that in July 2017, she attended a party at Dorworth’s home in a gated residential community in Florida. She claims that drugs were freely distributed there and that Gaetz had sexual contact with her in a guest bedroom. The lawsuit contains similar allegations concerning the second woman.

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According to the plaintiffs, Gaetz and Greenberg promised them financial assistance, including help with rent or tuition payments, but allegedly did not always pay the promised amounts in full.

Reaction and previous case

After the lawsuit was filed, Gaetz wrote on social media platform X that two adult women had accused him of transporting them to the Bahamas for sexual exploitation. He also posted a photo that he said showed the plaintiffs and another woman in the Caribbean.

In 2023, the US Department of Justice declined to bring charges against Gaetz following its sex-trafficking investigation. He has repeatedly denied any sexual contact with a minor. Greenberg is serving an 11-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2021 to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor.