Two women have filed a civil lawsuit accusing former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz of participating in an alleged sex trafficking operation that included a trip to the Bahamas.
The civil case, first reported by the Miami Herald, was filed Monday in federal court in Florida, also names Joel Greenberg, the disgraced former Seminole County tax collector, and Christopher Dorworth, a former Republican state lawmaker.
The 33-page filing accuses the men of using financial incentives, drugs and a network of personal connections to facilitate sexual encounters with young women.
The plaintiffs, identified in court documents as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, were 20 and 22 when they first encountered Gaetz in the summer of 2017.
In a statement to the Miami Herald, Gaetz said, ‘I look forward to taking the plaintiffs’ depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false.’
They allege Greenberg approached them when they were struggling financially, recruiting them through SeekingArrangement.com, a notorious sugar baby website associated with arrangements between wealthy men and younger partners.
According to the complaint, Greenberg put the women in contact with Gaetz, Dorworth and other men.
The alleged encounters took place at private homes and parties, where the women allege drugs were involved.
Two Jane Does filed a civil suit accusing former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz of participating in an alleged sex trafficking operation that included a trip to the Bahamas
The alleged encounters took place at private homes and parties, where the women allege drugs were involved. Jane Doe 1 alleges she was paid more than $6,000, while Jane Doe 2 claims she received over $4,000
‘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 told the Miami Herald
The complaint lists the Bahamas, New York City, Miami, Las Vegas and the Florida Keys among the destinations.
It also details payments the women say they received from Gaetz.
Jane Doe 1 alleges she was paid more than $6,000, while Jane Doe 2 claims she received over $4,000.
Descriptions attached to some of the transactions allegedly included phrases such as ‘Love you ‘Being my friend,’ and ‘car deductible.’
Jane Doe 1 claims she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl, referred to in the lawsuit as ‘Victim A.’
The then-teenager is not a plaintiff in the case.
‘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 told the Miami Herald.
He then shared a picture from an Instagram account of three women captioned, ‘Bahamas, beers and babes is all you ever need,’ With his own caption, ‘Jane Doe Strikes Again! Two adult women sued me today alleging they were sex trafficked to the Bahamas. I’m shocked nobody responded to their repeated cries for help, posted to instagram.’
When the Daily Mail asked Gaetz if the women in the lawsuit are the women in the photo he shared on X, he said:
‘This is a picture of 3 women in the Bahamas posting about what a good time they are having on vacation. You should ask the attorney for the plaintiffs if their clients are pictured. I think they are.’
The Daily Mail reached out to Florida attorney Spencer Kuvin, who filed the lawsuit for comment on Gaetz sharing the Instagram photo.
Though Kuvin could neither confirm nor deny if the women in the photo are the Jane Does, he called Matt Gaetz ‘disgusting’ and said he has no idea who the anonymous women are.
‘Even if he were thinking it’s one of them, he’s trying to dox them online, which is further abuse,’ Kuvin told the Daily Mail.
‘If he wants to testify under oath, under penalty of perjury, tell him we’re ready to take his deposition tomorrow.’
The women argue that the significant age gap between them and Gaetz was used to exploit their circumstances and keep them from coming forward.
According to the filing, Gaetz was 15 years older than the first plaintiff and 13 years older than the second.
The lawsuit further alleges that Greenberg and Dorworth helped shield Gaetz from scrutiny.
The men are accused of arranging or paying for travel involving the plaintiffs, other alleged victims and prominent political figures.
Greenberg, who is serving an 11-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to multiple offenses, including sex trafficking a minor, is also accused of using money from a range of transactions to pay women for commercial sex acts.
The plaintiffs are also pursuing claims against Greenberg Dental Associates LLC and other companies linked to Greenberg’s family.
The filing alleges that more than 150 such transactions, worth over $70,000 in total, took place between December 2016 and December 2018.
Some were allegedly charged to an American Express card belonging to the tax collector’s office, with expense descriptions including ‘school’ and ‘ice cream.’
Kuvin’s lawsuit references findings from a separate House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz’s conduct while in Congress.
