A federal civil lawsuit filed in Florida accuses former Rep. Matt Gaetz of participating in a sex trafficking scheme involving young women, drugs, and interstate travel between 2017 and 2019.

The complaint, brought by two women identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, names Gaetz along with Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector now serving an 11-year prison sentence, and former state Rep. Christopher Dorworth as defendants. Attorney Spencer Kuvin represents the plaintiffs.

According to the suit, Gaetz and Greenberg coordinated recruitment, payments, controlled substances, and travel to facilitate commercial sex acts. The women, who were 20 and 22 when they met Gaetz, allege they received thousands of dollars from him through Venmo with messages such as "Being my friend" and "Love you." One plaintiff claims she witnessed Gaetz engage in sex with a 17-year-old girl and pay her cash. Both describe trips to Las Vegas, the Florida Keys, and New York City arranged by the defendants.

Gaetz issued a statement denying the claims. "I look forward to taking the plaintiffs' depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false," he said. "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."

The allegations draw from a prior House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz. Greenberg pleaded guilty in a separate federal case that included sex trafficking of a child. The new suit seeks damages under federal sex trafficking statutes and requests a jury trial.

Gaetz resigned from Congress in 2024. The civil action remains pending, with no criminal charges filed in connection with these specific claims.