Two women sue Matt Gaetz over alleged sex trafficking scheme
Two women have sued former congressman Matt Gaetz, saying he and two other Florida men ran a sex trafficking scheme from 2017 to 2019, The Washington Post and the Washington Examiner reported. In an email, Gaetz said much of what they claim about him is false, the USA TODAY Network-Florida reported. He was never charged.
Two women have filed a federal lawsuit accusing former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and two other men of taking part in a sex trafficking scheme, The Washington Post, the Washington Examiner and the USA TODAY Network-Florida reported. The suit was filed Thursday, Oct. 15, in the Middle District of Florida, the Post and the USA TODAY Network-Florida reported, and the court filing shows that date.
The plaintiffs, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, say the scheme ran from 2017 to 2019 and involved drugs, trips and money, the USA TODAY Network-Florida reported. The other defendants are former Seminole County tax collector Joel Micah Greenberg and former state Rep. Christopher Dorworth, according to the court filing. The Post calls him Chris Dorworth.
Greenberg pleaded guilty in 2021 to sex trafficking of a minor and other charges and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, the Post reported. The suit says Gaetz sent about $6,200 to Jane Doe 1 and about $4,025 to Jane Doe 2, according to the Post. One woman says she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old, the Post and the Examiner reported. The Post said this happened at a party at Dorworth's home.
Gaetz denied the claims. "I look forward to taking the plaintiffs' depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false. 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," Gaetz said in an email, according to the USA TODAY Network-Florida.
A person who answered a phone number tied to Dorworth declined to comment, and a lawyer who has represented Greenberg did not respond, the Post reported.
A House Ethics Committee report in December 2024 said Gaetz regularly paid for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, the Post reported. The Justice Department investigated Gaetz but never charged him, and he has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, the Post reported. He withdrew as President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general in November 2024, the Post reported.
What we know: Two women have sued Gaetz, Greenberg and Dorworth, and Gaetz says much of the claim is false.
What we don't: How Greenberg and Dorworth will respond in court, and when the case will be heard.
Where outlets agree The Washington Post, the Washington Examiner and the USA TODAY Network-Florida report that two women sued Gaetz, Greenberg and Dorworth over an alleged sex trafficking scheme.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.