Matt Gaetz Faces Federal Sex Trafficking Lawsuit and Vows to Confront His Accusers

Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is facing a federal civil lawsuit accusing him of sex trafficking two young women, a case filed in Orlando that leans heavily on a congressional report Gaetz says never let him face his accusers. The 38-page complaint, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, was brought by two women identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. It names two co-defendants: Joel Micah Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector serving 11 years in federal prison, and Christopher Dorworth, a former Florida state representative. Gaetz denies the allegations and says the courtroom will finally give him the cross-examination Congress never did.

A Civil Suit Built on a Congressional Report

The complaint alleges Gaetz and the two other men "coordinated the recruitment, payments, drugs, and travel to obtain commercial sexual acts" from the women between 2017 and January 2019. It contends the defendants "collectively used their public office, power, and wealth to prey on the economic vulnerability of Plaintiffs," and it notes that both women were recent high school graduates when the alleged conduct began.

The suit retraces the findings of the House Ethics Committee, which spent years investigating Gaetz before he resigned his seat in November 2024. The panel stays busy on member misconduct, including a current probe into California Democrat Jimmy Gomez, and its December 2024 report concluded that Gaetz paid women tens of thousands of dollars for sex and drugs on at least 20 occasions and engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl in 2017. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Jane Doe 1 was 20 when she was introduced to Gaetz in the summer of 2017. Jane Doe 2 was 22 when Greenberg first contacted her. Both say they were recruited, paid, and moved across state lines. No criminal charges were ever filed against Gaetz, even after federal prosecutors spent years on a sex trafficking investigation and career attorneys recommended against an indictment.

The Recruiting Network and the Money

Greenberg, a one-time Gaetz associate, found the women through the website SeekingArrangement.com and introduced them to the congressman, the complaint alleges. He pleaded guilty in May 2021 to six federal offenses, including sex trafficking of a child, and is serving an 11-year sentence. He had admitted using his office to access the Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database, which the suit says helped him identify targets.

Dorworth's alleged role is narrower. The complaint says his participation is limited to conduct at his residence and an agreement to recruit, pay, and control the women, not to sexual acts. Dorworth previously sued Greenberg, claiming he was falsely implicated in Greenberg's crimes.

The women describe a pattern of cash and travel. Jane Doe 1 says Gaetz sent her $500 through PayPal three days after a July 2017 party and that payments -- 19 documented occasions of between $150 and $1,000 -- continued through January 2019. The suit says the men arranged and funded trips to Venice Beach, Miami, Las Vegas, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and New York City.

At the July 2017 party, Jane Doe 1 also alleges she saw Gaetz have sex with a 17-year-old identified in the complaint as Victim A, who was given $400 in cash. Gaetz has repeatedly denied ever engaging in a sexual exchange with a minor.

Gaetz Fires Back and Points to the Depositions

Gaetz answered the filing with a written statement and a social media counterpunch. "I look forward to taking the plaintiffs' depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false," he said. "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."

He also posted a photograph of three women in swimsuits from a September 2018 social media post that appeared to show a Bahamas beach trip. Gaetz said he did not know whether the women in the photo were the plaintiffs, but argued that if they were, "they seemed to portray their Bahamian trip differently on social media than in their lawsuit seeking money."

The women are represented by Spencer Kuvin, a West Palm Beach attorney. The case echoes the political fight that consumed Gaetz in late 2024, when President Donald Trump tapped him to run the Justice Department, prompting his resignation from the House and a swift withdrawal from consideration as the allegations resurfaced.

What Comes Next

This is a civil matter, not a criminal prosecution, which means a lower burden of proof and money damages instead of prison time. It also moves the fight into the forum Gaetz says he wants: sworn testimony, discovery, and depositions in which his accusers answer questions under oath, with their own conduct and finances open to scrutiny.

The filing lands with the midterms weeks away, and Gaetz remains a prominent voice on the right. He has never been charged with a crime, and the House Ethics Committee's findings carry no legal penalty by themselves. The civil complaint borrows its factual spine from that report, which Gaetz argues denied him a meaningful chance to respond.

The next steps belong to the court. The defendants are expected to answer the complaint, and discovery could take months before any trial date comes into view. That leaves both sides telling voters and readers the same thing for now: the facts are on their side, and the courtroom is where they intend to prove it.