Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump's 2024 attorney general pick, named in civil sex-trafficking suit (Oct. 2026)

Case

Two women filed a civil suit in federal court in Florida naming former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Joel Greenberg and Christopher Dorworth, alleging recruitment, drugs and paid sex encounters between 2017 and January 2019. Gaetz, whom Trump nominated for attorney general in 2024 before he withdrew, says much of the alleged conduct is false. These are allegations in a civil complaint, not findings; Gaetz is not a current administration official.

The lawsuit (filed Oct. 2026; allegations only)
Two women, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, filed a 33-page civil complaint on a Monday in October 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, represented by attorney Spencer Kuvin.
The defendants are former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Joel Greenberg and Christopher Dorworth, a former Florida House member. Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, is serving an 11-year federal sentence after a 2021 guilty plea that included sex trafficking of a minor.
The complaint alleges Gaetz used Greenberg and Dorworth to coordinate the recruitment of young women, and that drugs were provided to enable sexual encounters between 2017 and January 2019. The plaintiffs say they were 20 and 22 when introduced to Gaetz. These are allegations in a civil complaint and have not been tested in court.
Kuvin said the plaintiffs have text messages he called incredibly damaging; the article does not describe their contents.
Gaetz denies the charges, telling the Miami Herald that much of the conduct alleged is false, that he looks forward to deposing the plaintiffs, and that the suit relies almost exclusively on a congressional committee report that did not let him confront his accusers.
The articles do not include responses from Greenberg or Dorworth.

Background: the Trump connection (2024)
In 2024, after Trump named Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, Gaetz resigned from Congress within hours; he later withdrew, saying his confirmation fight was becoming a distraction to the Trump/Vance transition. He is not described as a current administration official in the sources reviewed.
At the time, the House Ethics Committee failed to agree on releasing its nearly finished report; Gaetz's resignation ended its investigation. Reports said the committee had documents showing he paid two women who testified before it more than $10,000 between 2017 and 2019, and the women said some of the money was for sex.
The Justice Department investigated allegations against Gaetz and declined to bring charges in 2023. A Trump transition spokesperson said DOJ concluded he "committed no crime" and that the leaks were meant to undermine the effort to reform the Justice Department.
Gaetz resigned from Congress in 2024 while the Ethics Committee investigated his alleged conduct.

Perspectives

Defender — Matt Gaetz and the 2024 Trump transition team
Gaetz says much of the alleged conduct is false and that the suit rests almost entirely on a House Ethics report that denied him the chance to confront his accusers; he welcomes deposing the plaintiffs. In 2024 a Trump transition spokesperson said the Justice Department reviewed the allegations and concluded he committed no crime, which they cast as leaks meant to undermine DOJ reform. DOJ declined to bring charges in 2023.

Editorial read — The Author (site author)
The Author's view is that Trump put his faith in Gaetz as a pick to lead the Justice Department, and that, even though Gaetz may no longer be in the administration, the episode shows the kind of people Trump surrounds himself with. This is an interpretation, not a finding: the lawsuit's allegations are unproven, Gaetz denies them, DOJ declined to charge him in 2023, and no source reviewed here ties the alleged conduct to the administration.

Note
Gaetz denies much of the conduct alleged and says the suit relies mainly on a House Ethics report that did not let him confront his accusers; the DOJ previously investigated and declined to bring charges, and the allegations here are untested in court.

Sources
[1] WPXI: Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz among 3 defendants named in sex trafficking civil lawsuit (https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending/former-us-rep-matt-gaetz-among-3-defendants-named-sex-trafficking-civil-lawsuit/S4MXPRF5ORDAPMPP462RNL56CA/) · 2026-10-15
[2] Mediaite: Ex-GOP congressman Matt Gaetz accused of sex trafficking in new suit (https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/breaking-ex-gop-congressman-matt-gaetz-accused-of-sex-trafficking-in-new-suit/) · 2026-10-15
[3] VOA: Gaetz withdraws name as Trump's attorney general nominee (https://voazimbabwe.com/a/gaetz-withdraws-name-as-trump-s-attorney-general-nominee/7872544.html) · 2024-11

Connections

Related — DOJ/FBI handling of the Epstein files
Both involve Trump's choices for top Justice Department roles and sex-trafficking-related allegations; the link reflects The Author's view of the people Trump surrounds himself with, and no source ties the alleged conduct in the Gaetz suit to the administration or to the Epstein files.