Two women filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg and others of sex trafficking in Central Florida from 2017 to 2019.
The complaint alleges Greenberg recruited the women online and that he and Gaetz used payments, travel and drugs to obtain sex, exploiting the women’s financial vulnerability.
Greenberg previously pleaded guilty to federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Gaetz, who has adamantly denied being involved in sex trafficking and has never been charged with any crimes, was the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation that found evidence the congressman paid women for sex and drug use.
“I look forward to taking the plaintiffs’ depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false,” Gaetz told the Miami Herald. “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 posted a message on social media Wednesday afternoon addressing the lawsuit that included an Instagram photo of three unidentified women dressed in swimwear.
“Jane Doe Strikes again!” the post on X states. “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.”
Gaetz resigned from Congress in 2024 on the same day President Donald Trump nominated him to be U.S. Attorney General. Days later, Gaetz withdrew his name for consideration, saying his confirmation was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the incoming Trump administration.
The two adult women, identified in court papers as “Jane Doe 1” and “Jane Doe 2”, also accuse former state lawmaker Christopher Dorworth of knowingly hosting a gathering at his Heathrow home and allege that several businesses affiliated with Greenberg’s parents, Andrew and Susan Greenberg, helped fund the operation.
News 6 has contacted attorneys representing the defendants to offer an opportunity to comment on the litigation but did not immediately receive responses.
Fritz Scheller, an attorney who has previously represented Greenberg in criminal and civil courts, said he has not been retained to represent Greenberg in this matter.
“Nevertheless, I did represent him in a civil case in the Middle District of Florida that involved similar allegations and common facts,” Scheller told News 6. “Having sat through the tedium of that litigation, I was surprised and troubled to see Susan and Andrew Greenberg, as well as their associated entities, brought into this matter. But then again, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”