Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz is facing new sex trafficking allegations after two women filed a federal civil lawsuit accusing him and two other men of exploiting them with money, trips and drugs. Gaetz says much of what the lawsuit alleges is false.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida by two women identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, WPXI reported. The Miami Herald first reported the suit.

Who Is Named in the Lawsuit

Along with Gaetz, the suit names Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector, and Christopher Dorworth, a former Republican member of the Florida House.

Greenberg is serving an 11-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2021 to charges including sex trafficking of a minor, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and stalking.

The complaint alleges that Gaetz used Greenberg and Dorworth to "coordinate the recruitment of young women." It claims the women were given drugs to enable sexual encounters between 2017 and January 2019. Greenberg and Dorworth had not publicly commented on the lawsuit.

What the Women Allege

Jane Doe 1 was 20 and Jane Doe 2 was 22 when they were introduced to Gaetz in the summer of 2017. Both said they had no stable income at the time Greenberg recruited them.

Jane Doe 1 claims she met Gaetz at a party in July 2017. The lawsuit alleges that at that party, Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl and then paid her $400 in cash. Jane Doe 1 also claims Gaetz sent her payments ranging from $150 to $1,000 through Venmo, with notes such as "Being my friend" and "Just because," TMZ reported.

Jane Doe 2 claims she met Gaetz in December 2017 and that, after she took ecstasy, both Gaetz and Greenberg had sex with her. Both women say they went on several trips with Gaetz, including to Las Vegas, the Florida Keys and New York City.

The women are suing under a federal anti-trafficking law that allows victims to seek damages in civil court. They are seeking compensatory damages and a jury trial. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Gaetz Fires Back

Gaetz denied the claims in a statement to the Miami Herald. "I look forward to taking the plaintiffs' depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false," he said.

He argued that "the lawsuit relies almost exclusively on a Congressional Committee report that didn't allow me to confront my accusers," adding, "Now I will finally have that chance."

The women's attorney, Spencer Kuvin, said he is ready too. "I look forward to taking his deposition under oath where he will be under penalty of perjury," Kuvin told the Herald. He told WPTV that the plaintiffs have text messages "we believe are incredibly damaging to Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg."

A Long-Running Controversy

Gaetz has faced scrutiny over similar allegations for years. The Justice Department began investigating him in 2020 but closed its investigation in 2023 without filing charges, according to MeidasTouch.

Gaetz resigned from Congress in 2024, after President Donald Trump picked him to serve as attorney general, while a bipartisan House Ethics Committee investigation was underway. He later withdrew from consideration.

In December 2024, the committee released a report saying it found substantial evidence that Gaetz paid women for sex, used illegal drugs and had sex with a minor, in violation of Florida's statutory rape law. The committee did not find substantial evidence that he violated federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing.

Gaetz now works as a television host on One America News.

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