Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is denying accusations in a bombshell federal lawsuit that he allegedly “coordinated” a sex trafficking operation.
Two accusers — referred to as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 to protect their privacy — took legal action against Gaetz, 44, former Florida House Rep. Chris Dorworth and former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg in the Middle District Court of Florida on Thursday, October 15, accusing the three men of using their “public office, power, and wealth to prey on the economic vulnerability” of both women. (Three dental clinics are also named as defendants in the case.)
The 38-page lawsuit, obtained by Us, specifically accuses Gaetz of exploiting a “significant age difference” between himself and the women, who were recent high school graduates when the alleged offenses occurred between “2017 through January 2019.”
“They were men of power, wealth, and privilege who used their positions not to protect the vulnerable but to prey upon them,” the lawsuit reads.
Jane Doe 1 and 2 contended that Gaetz, a prominent Republican, and Greenberg, 42, specifically “coordinated the recruitment, payments, drugs, and travel to obtain commercial sexual acts from young women,” while they claimed Dorworth, 50, “knowingly participated in these events.”
“The Defendants collectively used their public office, power, and wealth to prey on the economic vulnerability of Plaintiffs to commit the acts outlined [in the lawsuit],” attorneys for the two alleged victims wrote in court documents.
The Jane Does are seeking damages and “reasonable attorney’s fees,” as well as “costs, interest as allowed by law, and other appropriate relief.” They have requested a “trial by jury” to settle the matter.
Us has reached out to Gaetz’s law firm for comment.
On Thursday, Gaetz denied the “false” sex trafficking accusations laid out in the federal lawsuit, telling The Guardian, “[The legal action] relies almost exclusively on a Congressional Committee report that didn’t allow me to confront my accusers. Now I will finally have that chance.”
Greenberg previously pleaded guilty in 2021 to charges of sex trafficking of a child, illegally producing a false identification document, aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, stalking, and conspiracy, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida. He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence.
Gaetz resigned from Congress in November 2024 due to ongoing allegations of sex trafficking, which he denied at the time.
The politician quit as the representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district after then-President-Elect Donald Trump nominated him to become Attorney General. He ultimately withdrew his own nomination amid significant controversy over a bipartisan House ethics committee probe into his conduct.
“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” he told late conservative pundit Charlie Kirk at the time. “There are a number of fantastic Floridians who stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service. And I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation.”
Florida’s former chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis ultimately fended off a challenge from Democratic rival Gay Valimont in a special election for Gaetz’ Congressional seat in April 2025.
If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
