Matt Gaetz, a former U.S. Representative and former nominee for U.S. Attorney General, has been named as a defendant in a federal civil lawsuit alleging participation in a sex trafficking scheme. The 33-page complaint was filed on Monday, October 12, 2026, in the Middle District of Florida by attorney Spencer Kuvin on behalf of two women identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.
The lawsuit alleges that the events took place between 2017 and January 2019, involving the transport of women across state lines for commercial sex and the use of illegal drugs. Other defendants named in the suit include former Florida Representative Christopher Dorworth and former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, the latter of whom is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for sex trafficking of a minor and other charges.
According to the complaint, the defendants used the website SeekingArrangement.com to recruit women and provided controlled substances at parties to facilitate sexual encounters. The plaintiffs allege that Gaetz paid Jane Doe 1 more than $6,000 and Jane Doe 2 more than $4,000, with payment descriptions such as "Being my friend" and "Love you." Gaetz, in a statement, denied the allegations, calling much of the conduct "false" and stating that he looks forward to taking depositions to confront his accusers.
The scale of the alleged financial activity involves significant sums and multiple jurisdictions. The complaint claims that Joel Greenberg executed more than 150 transactions totaling over $70,000 between 2016 and 2018 to pay for sex acts, including charges to a public tax collector’s office credit card. The suit also alleges the defendants funded travel for victims and political figures to Miami, Las Vegas, New York City, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. If the plaintiffs prevail, the case could result in substantial monetary judgments against the defendants and their affiliated business entities, such as Greenberg Dental Associates LLC.
The complaint cites a House Ethics Committee report that found "substantial evidence" of rule violations, including paying for sex with a minor and illegal drug use. A person following this case would notice the shift from a closed-door congressional inquiry to a public federal courtroom where defendants can be deposed under penalty of perjury. The next steps involve the scheduling of depositions and court dates in the Middle District of Florida; however, specific dates for these proceedings were not reported.