Two Women Sue Matt Gaetz in Federal Court, Alleging Sex Trafficking

Two women sued former US Representative Matt Gaetz in federal court in Orlando on Thursday, Oct 15, accusing him of taking part in a sex trafficking scheme while he was a sitting member of Congress. The plaintiffs, named in the complaint as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, say Gaetz and two other men coordinated the recruitment, payment, travel and supply of drugs to obtain commercial sex acts between 2017 and early 2019, in violation of a federal anti-trafficking law. The suit seeks unspecified damages.

The other men named are Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, and Christopher Dorworth, a former Florida state representative. Businesses tied to Greenberg's family are also named as defendants. The women say they were in their early twenties in 2017 when they met Gaetz through Greenberg. The complaint describes trips to Miami, Las Vegas, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and New York City, and parties in Florida. Jane Doe 1 says she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a girl who was 17 years old at the time. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any sexual exchange with a minor.

Gaetz says the claims are false

Gaetz denied the allegations in a statement. He said much of the conduct alleged against him is false, and that the lawsuit relies almost exclusively on a House Ethics Committee report that did not let him confront his accusers. He said he looks forward to taking the plaintiffs' depositions and will finally have that chance. He also mocked the women in a post on X on Thursday. Neither Greenberg nor Dorworth responded to USA Today's request for comment before publication. USA Today reported that the complaint limits Dorworth's alleged part to conduct at his residence and an agreement on recruitment, payment and control, and does not accuse him of sexual acts.

Greenberg is serving an 11-year federal prison sentence. He pleaded guilty in 2021 to sex trafficking of a minor, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, stalking and conspiracy. The women's lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, wrote in the complaint that the scheme ran on a power imbalance, with a sitting congressman, an elected tax collector and a former state legislator on one side and young, financially vulnerable women on the other.

A scandal that ended an attorney general bid

Federal prosecutors investigated Gaetz and declined to charge him, and he has never been criminally charged. The House Ethics Committee report, released after he left office, said he had regularly paid for sex, including once with a 17-year-old, purchased and used illicit drugs, and violated state laws. In November 2024, President Donald Trump picked Gaetz to be attorney general. Gaetz resigned from Congress and withdrew from consideration about a week later as the allegations closed in on the nomination.

Gaetz now hosts a political talk show on One America News Network. He was recently appointed to the board of Triumph Gulf Coast, which oversees how Florida spends money recovered for damage from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Florida media have also named him as a possible candidate in the 2026 race for governor. The new case is a civil suit, not a criminal prosecution, and it now moves through the federal court in Orlando, where Gaetz says he intends to fight the claims.