Matt Gaetz Accused of Sex Trafficking in New Lawsuit, Then Appears to Out His Anonymous Accusers Online

Former US Representative Matt Gaetz faces a federal sex trafficking lawsuit filed in Florida on 15 October by two anonymous women, then appeared to post an image seemingly referring to the accusers, raising questions about the implications of his response.

The suit, docketed in the Middle District of Florida, names Gaetz, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, and former state House member Christopher Dorworth. The Miami Herald first reported the filing. Hours later, Gaetz posted a screenshot of an Instagram photo showing three women in swimwear with their backs to the camera.

He added that he was shocked nobody had answered the women's posted pleas for help, pointing to a Bahamas trip the suit also describes, then told the Herald he was not certain the women pictured were the plaintiffs. The post appeared to reference women who may be connected to the lawsuit, and the plaintiffs' attorney criticised it.

What the Complaint Alleges

The complaint accuses the three men of coordinating recruitment, payments, drugs, and travel to obtain commercial sex from 2017 through January 2019. It says Greenberg recruited the women through the website SeekingArrangement.com before introducing them to Gaetz and Dorworth.

Jane Doe 1, then 20, says she received more than $6,000 (£4,500), and Jane Doe 2, then 22, more than $4,000 (£3,000), with payment notes such as 'Being my friend' and 'car deductible'.

Jane Doe 1 also alleges she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old, named in the suit as Victim A, who is not a plaintiff. Gaetz denies all wrongdoing.

The Confrontation He Asked For

Gaetz has spent years demanding to face his accusers. In a statement to the Herald, he called much of the alleged conduct false and said he would 'finally' get that chance through depositions. The contradiction was immediate: the same day, he published an image that appeared to reference women suing him under court-protected pseudonyms. An attorney for the plaintiffs said his response only worsened his position.

A Civil Lawsuit After the DOJ Investigation

The case revisits conduct the Department of Justice examined and declined to prosecute in 2023. The new civil filing brings the plaintiffs' claims before a court, rather than reopening the criminal investigation. A civil suit carries a lower burden of proof than a criminal prosecution, so the plaintiffs must show their claims are more likely true than not rather than prove them beyond reasonable doubt.

The complaint draws heavily on the House Ethics Committee report released in December 2024, which found substantial evidence that Gaetz paid women for sex and engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old, while finding insufficient evidence that he violated federal sex trafficking laws.

Gaetz withdrew as President Donald Trump's choice for attorney general in late 2024 as the Ethics findings loomed. Gaetz argues that the report denied him any chance to question his accusers.

Greenberg, Depositions, and What Follows

Greenberg is serving 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor. He cooperated with investigators examining Gaetz, though prosecutors never charged the former congressman.

The depositions Gaetz says he welcomes would put him under oath for the first time on these claims. His post has already shifted attention towards the question of his accusers' privacy and safety, the exact ground he once said he wanted to contest in open court.