Devastating Report Details How Underage Homeless Girl Allegedly Had Sex With Matt Gaetz For Money to Buy Braces

(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

Newly-unsealed federal court documents revealed the devastating story of a homeless 17-year old who allegedly had sex with former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for money so she could buy braces to straighten her teeth.

A federal judge in Florida unsealed the civil case documents in October following a request from the McClatchy newspaper chain, according to The New York Times.

The Times’s Michael S. Schmidt contacted the girl’s attorney, Laura B. Wolf, who — according to Schmidt — provided “details for the first time of how the girl’s circumstances led her to her encounters with Mr. Gaetz. Ms. Wolf said her client believed the public should have a fuller understanding of how she had been victimized.”

“She was 17 and a high school junior in Florida. She was working at McDonald’s. And she was living in and out of a homeless shelter,” The Times story began. “Hoping to save up to buy braces to fix her teeth, she falsely advertised herself in 2017 as 18 years old on a website that matches men looking for ‘companionship’ with young women looking to make money.”

According to the report by the House Ethics Committee, the girl signed up with a “sugar dating”website that arranged “mutually beneficial relationships,” usually with younger women and older men. That’s when she met Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg who allegedly paid her $400 for sexual encounters.

The documents continued that the girl met Gaetz at a party where she took cocaine and ecstasy and allegedly had sex with Gaetz twice for $400. She later told congressional investigators that she saw Gaetz use cocaine that night.

During a Justice Department investigation into Greenberg’s alleged illegal political activities, the DOJ learned about the girl and the connection to Gaetz, who was first elected to Congress in 2016.

Gaetz was accused of child sex trafficking and statutory rape, and the girl became the chief witness against congressman. Ultimately, the DOJ declined to bring charges but the case affected his political career nonetheless. Gaetz dropped out of contention in 2024 to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, and resigned from Congress altogether.

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Greenberg, who cooperated in the case against Gaetz, pleaded guilty to underage sex trafficking, wire fraud, stalking, identity theft, producing a fake ID card, and conspiring to defraud the US government. He was handed an 11-year sentence.

The girl’s attorney told The Times, “Power imbalances can be age, but they can also be financial. My client had little economic security, which allowed for financial leverage over her.”