The report released Monday by the House Ethics Committee on former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz found it had “substantial evidence” that he had sex with a 17-year-old, often paid women for sex and frequently did illicit drugs in violation of Florida laws.
Backed up by text messages, Venmo receipts, checks and testimony, the report details Gaetz’s practice of paying women after sexual encounters.
Gaetz, who was President-elect Donald Trump’s initial pick to be the next Attorney General before dropping out in the face of resistance from the U.S. Senate, has defended himself, saying he didn’t pay for sex but simply gave money to women he dated.
“In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated – even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court – which is why no such claim was ever made in court,” Gaetz posted on X last week.
But the report states that while Gaetz never had a prearranged amount of money with the women involved, some of them viewed their relationship with Gaetz as transactional and expected to be paid.
“Many of the women interviewed by the Committee were clear that there was a general expectation of sex,” the report states. “One woman who was paid more than $5,000 by Representative Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 told the Committee that 99 percent of the time that [Representative Gaetz and I] were hanging out, there was sex involved.’”
Moreover, the report found Gaetz “took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter.”
Here are five glaring details of the report:
The report alleged Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old, referred to as Victim A, during a party on July 15, 2017, at the home of Chris Dorworth, a former state representative and lobbyist.
“The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees,” the report states. “Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school.”
The victim, though, didn’t tell Gaetz she was underage, and the committee didn’t find any evidence Gaetz knew she was under 18.
For his part, Dorworth has said he didn’t attend the party at his home and claimed the testimony by Victim A and other witnesses are lies. Dorworth had sued the underage victim in federal court for defamation, alleging she tried to extort money from him. He dismissed the suit in August, saying she agreed not to bring a lawsuit against him.
“First things first: these people tried to shake us down for money,” Dorworth posted on X on Monday. “That’s why I sued them in the first place and why this whole thing even started. I’ve never met these women, and I’ve taken three polygraph tests to dispute their baseless lies.”
But the report notes cell phone records indicate Dorworth “was in fact at his residence during the party” and that Dorworth didn’t respond when asked for clarification on his whereabouts during the party. Dorworth disputes that, stating in an X post he was never confronted with the cell phone records and that his attorney submitted evidence in September but the report doesn’t mention it.
Dorworth also filed suit against Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County Property Appraiser who pled guilty to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, after being arrested in 2020. He was initially charged with 33 counts of various fraud and corruption charges, but received a 12 year sentence after cooperating with federal law enforcement on a probe into Gaetz’ sex trafficking allegations.
The Department of Justice, though, looked into the allegations of Gaetz’ sexual activity with Victim A but opted not to pursue charges.
A couple of Florida cities are name-dropped in the report, including the state’s capital city, Tallahassee.
Exhibit 5 includes text messages between Gaetz and a woman who is traveling to San Francisco.
“You flying to tally Sunday? Monday? Need me to get you a flight?” Gaetz wrote in a text message.
The woman responds and says she has a flight on Monday at 5 p.m. “And I’ll go straight to hang with you!”“That’s awesome!” Gaetz texts back.
Gaetz also meets with the woman in Orlando and tells her he is staying at a Marriott Hotel in Lake Mary. 
In Exhibit 6, Gaetz texts a woman he knew through Greenberg and asks her if she would be interested in a trip to the Florida Keys from May 19-21, 2017 with “2 guys, 4 girls. A very high-quality, adventurous group.”
“As is true with all time you spend w[ith] me, it’ll be fun and very chill,” Gaetz writes in a text message.
In Miami, Gaetz, Greenberg and others rented a place in July 2017 in the Brickell neighborhood. According to the report, this trip was an example of an instance when Gaetz and Greenberg “would split the costs of ‘drugs, hotel[s], and girls.’”
“Most of the sex-for-money encounters that the Committee reviewed occurred in Florida, particularly around Orlando. Several of the women involved were students based in that area,” the report says.
According to the report, some of the women felt like they had been taken advantage of and misled by Gaetz and Greenberg.
“While all the women that the Committee interviewed stated their sexual activity with Representative Gaetz was consensual, at least one woman felt that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have ‘impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent,’” the report says.
Almost every woman the committee spoke to said they couldn’t remember all the details of their encounters with Gaetz because of drugs and alcohol.
The report says Gaetz would also try to “convince” the women to have sex with him or Greenberg.
According to Victim A, the 17-year-old, Gaetz would say “‘Why don’t you want to have sex with me’ or ‘[Mr. Greenberg] looks very sad over there . . . . Make him happy,’” the report says.
One woman said she felt “violated,” and another said she still thinks about her encounters with him all the time.
“I still see him when I turn on the tv and there’s nothing anyone can do. It’s frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies,” said the woman in the report.
In Exhibit 2, texts from Woman 4 to Greenberg say she is “over it” after she argues with Gaetz over not getting enough money. 
Greenberg responds: “It’ll be ok [redacated] I promise I’ll make him be nice to you.”
Gaetz is in her phone as “Marissa” for discretion, according to the report.
Woman 4 sends a screenshot of her conversation with Gaetz to Greenberg, in which “Marissa” writes: “Last week you gave me a driiiivvveee byyyyy.”
“It’s not fair to be unappreciated when I try,” Woman 4 texted Greenberg.
“I don’t care anymore,” she adds.
The exhibits include text messages that show women asking Gaetz and Greenberg for money for tuition. But on some occasions, Gaetz doesn’t follow through.
Woman 5 asks Gaetz for a “huge favor,” according to Exhibit 5. 
“I hate asking for help honestly, but if anyone in this world I feel comfortable asking it’s you lol,” writes Woman 5, who asked for $1,500 for a class she couldn’t get financial aid or loans to cover.
“On it,” replied Gaetz.
In Exhibit 2, a woman texts someone else saying “Matt” hasn’t paid her and laments she is “broke.”
In response, another person texts: “Don’t ask just say it to him on Friday,” adding “Before you have sex w him for sure.”
Another text exchange includes a screenshot of someone asking Greenberg for clarification on payments.
“And thanks for sending what you did this morning. But I was under the impression you were sending more to me,” the screenshotted text reads. “Especially since you asked how much my classes cost and said that you’ll take care of it.”
According to Exhibit 4, text messages say “the guys,” Greenberg and Gaetz, are “a little limited in their cash flow this weekend.”
“Lol matt was like.. If it can be more of a customer appreciation week.. LOL”
It’s not limited to school funds. In one text exchange, a woman posts a screenshot of the purchase of a pricey hula hoop, a light-up Futurehoop Pro that costs $419.
The text after the screenshot reads: “What did I do to deserve him?” with a crying face and a heart eyes emoji.
In the report, the committee said Gaetz’s behavior with women did not reflect “creditably upon the House.”
“Representative Gaetz took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter. Such behavior is not ‘generosity to ex-girlfriends,’” the report says.
Gaetz disputes the committee’s findings. In a post on X on Monday morning, Gaetz wrote: “Giving funds to someone you are dating – that they didn’t ask for – and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?’”
The committee said that in multiple interviews witnesses said they saw Gaetz using marijuana.
But Gaetz’s drug use isn’t limited to just marijuana. According to the report, between 2017 and 2019, he used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.
In text messages included in the exhibits, Gaetz asks women for “cartridges,” which are filled with THC and used with a vape pen.
He also asks for “party favors,” “vitamins” or “rolls.” According to the report, Woman 5 said “rolls” referred to ecstasy.
One woman said she brought cocaine to at least one event Gaetz also attended and she witnessed him using cocaine and ecstasy at least five different times, the report said.
The committee said Woman 4, in an interview, said Gaetz on one occasion was “talkative, sexual . . . he stayed up late, like probably the whole night with everybody” and that the “appearance of his face, eyes” were indicators of his having taken ecstasy.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

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