PNJ headlines: This was Friday’s news
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In a sex scandal that made headlines, three sealed witnesses claim that Congressman Matt Gaetz attended a party in 2017 that included sex, drugs and a naked underage girl.
Representatives of Gaetz and the lawyer of the alleged party host believe the allegations are unfounded.
Back in March 2021, the New York Times broke the story that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating Gaetz on allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travel expenses.
Gaetz has vehemently denied the allegations and the Justice Department ultimately declined to bring charges against the congressman. Nevertheless, the allegations – which resulted in a conviction and 11-year prison sentence for Gaetz’s friend and political ally Joel Greenberg – have haunted him and prompted an investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee.
Now, documents filed in federal court Thursday evening are “the first time that public court records have referenced a sworn statement alleging that the congressman attended one of the long-rumored parties linked to an alleged sex scandal involving minors,” Washington-based media outlet NOTUS reported in an article published early Friday morning.
The article cited statements from AB, the 17-year-old at the center of the scandal, and two other women who claimed Gaetz was at a “sex party” in the Lake Mary area on July 15, 2017.
In response to emailed questions from the News Journal about whether Gaetz attended the party and knew of illegal drugs, sexual activity or inappropriate activities with the teen, a spokesperson for Gaetz responded: “Congressman Gaetz never participated in the activities reflected in NOTUS reporting. If people say otherwise, they are either confused or lying. This particular reporter used to work at the liberal publication Daily Beast and predicted the congressman’s arrest in 2021. Apparently he had to find other work.”
The claim that Gaetz attended the party comes from witness statements and affidavits cited in a legal dispute between Greenberg’s family and the party’s alleged host, Christopher Dorworth.
Dorworth, a former state representative, filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court in 2023 against AB, Greenberg and several of Greenberg’s family members, accusing them of “conspiring with Joel’s sex trafficking victim, AB, to falsely accuse Dorworth and Gaetz of sexual misconduct.”
Alex Andrade, a Pensacola-based attorney with Moore, Hill & Westmoreland, PA, is representing Dorworth in the litigation. He said there are “disputed facts” surrounding the statement as well as evidence that contradicts the statement. He also urged people to “remember the source” of the allegations against his client, pointing out that Greenberg admitted to paying an underage girl for sex and that he encouraged her to give false testimony against his client. Additionally, the Justice Department reportedly did not pursue criminal charges against Gaetz because the witnesses in the case were unreliable.
Andrade is also a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in the Florida Panhandle.
What did witnesses say about Matt Gaetz attending a sex party?
Documents filed in a U.S. District Court in Orlando show that both camps accused each other of acting in bad faith.
AB’s testimony was made in a June 24 affidavit, and the transcript was entered as Exhibit 1 in Greenberg’s motion for attorneys’ fees, costs and sanctions. The motion was filed late Thursday night, about two weeks after Dorworth voluntarily withdrew the civil suit in federal court to pursue it in state court instead.
Other exhibits attached to the motion included testimony from a woman named KM from a June 21 deposition and an affidavit from a woman named BG from September 3. The transcripts and affidavit are sealed from the public and the motion citing them is heavily redacted.
Nevertheless, it is clear that the Greenbergs’ lawyers used the testimony to support their claim that Dorworth’s defamation allegations were frivolous and false.
Gaetz seemed to be caught in the crossfire.
“In 2017, Chris Dorworth – a former state representative turned lobbyist – reveled in the prestige of well-connected friends, such as Congressman Matt Gaetz, and entertained them with parties that featured illegal drugs and young women,” the motion states.
An exhibit attached to the motion, a document filed by attorneys for Greenberg’s ex-wife, Abby Greenberg, states: “The findings to date in this case indicate that on Saturday, July 15, 2017, Plaintiff Christopher Dorworth hosted a party at his residence at 1520 Whistable Court, Lake Mary, Florida…with the following guests: (1) AB; (2) KM; (3) BG; (4) Matt Gaetz; (5) CF; (6) Christopher Dorworth; (7) (redacted); (8) Joel Greenberg; (9) Joe Ellicott; (10) Mike Fischer; (11) an unidentified male; and (12) two unidentified females.”
AB, then an eleventh-grade student, drove to the meeting in her mother’s car, according to the document. Once there, she was seen “naked in the presence of Christopher Dorworth,” according to the affidavit of the witness identified as KM.
KM also reported that “attendees of the party at the Dorworth Residence, including, without limitation, AB, ‘had access to the bedrooms at the Dorworth Residence to engage in sexual activity’ and ‘consumed alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy (also known as molly) and marijuana.'”
Allegations about “sex party” are still denied
Andrade said that both the Greenbergs’ motion for fees and costs and the exhibits supporting it were inadmissible and were only filed after the case had already become moot and been remanded to state court.
“The (Greenberg) family’s motion for a fee refund contains scandalous and offensive factual allegations, the vast majority of which were never presented before this Court prior to the dismissal of this case; all of which Plaintiff denies,” Andrade wrote in a motion to the court on Friday. “…These disputed factual issues remain the subject of ongoing state litigation which could be unduly prejudiced by such decisions of this Court.”
A ruling filed by the judge on Friday appeared to support Andrade’s position.
“Because plaintiff (Dorworth) dismissed this action without prejudice pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure on September 5, 2024, 14 additional entries have been added to the record in this case,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel C. Irick wrote Friday in an order “assigning legal motions only.”
“The majority of the filings in the Court relate to the attorneys’ fees claim – Defendants are seeking fees under Florida’s RICO law and the Court’s inherent powers. However, while it appears that much of Defendants’ filings relate to their attempts to publicly use discovery documents to support their fee claims, many of Plaintiff’s filings relate to whether this Court has jurisdiction to consider the fee claims at this time.”
In a written statement to the News Journal, Andrade wrote: “To reiterate, the motions wrongfully filed by the defendants contain nothing to which we are required to respond. These are disputed issues. We look forward to pursuing our claims for defamation and false accusations of criminal conduct in state court. We are confident that we will prevail on these facts in state court, and we believe that state court is the only appropriate case in which these facts should be litigated.”
What does the sex party scandal mean for Matt Gaetz?
If history is any indicator, these latest allegations will hardly hurt Gaetz in his effort to retain his seat in Florida’s First Congressional District.
In the August primary, Gaetz easily defeated his challenger Aaron Dimmock with 72.55% of the vote.
Gaetz has not faced a serious challenge since his first election in 2016. He defeated six other candidates in the Republican primary. In every primary since 2016, Gaetz has won with the support of more than 60% of Republican voters.
His closest challenge in the primaries came in 2018 against Cris Dosev, who received 30% of the vote, more than any other candidate running against Gaetz since 2016.
In the November election, Gaetz will face Democratic candidate Gay Valimont, who released a statement on Friday addressing the sex scandal allegations.
“While I have always focused on the issues that matter most to our community, the revelations in these court filings are deeply disturbing and cannot be ignored. Witnesses have testified and credible allegations have emerged that implicate Congressman Gaetz in a scandal so heinous that it undermines our shared values of safety and dignity,” Valimont said.
“These allegations go beyond political debate; they reflect a profound crisis that requires accountability. I want to commend the courage of the young people affected, whose lives have been irrevocably impacted. We have a moral duty to protect our most vulnerable citizens. As your representative, I will confront issues that affect the integrity of our communities and the well-being of our constituents head-on.”
