Overview
- The New York Times reported details from federal civil records unsealed in October that describe the accuser as a homeless high school junior in 2017 who sought paid encounters to afford braces.
- According to the records and House Ethics Committee testimony, the teen met Gaetz at a July 2017 party after being introduced by Joel Greenberg and says she was paid $400 after sex and saw drug use that night.
- The House Ethics Committee’s 42-page report found substantial evidence Gaetz violated rules by paying women for sex and engaging in sexual activity with a 17-year-old, though it is not a criminal finding.
- The Justice Department investigated links among Gaetz, Greenberg, and the teen but declined to bring charges against Gaetz, even as the probe hurt his political prospects.
- Gaetz calls the account fiction, says he never had sex with the woman, and claims she threatened a $2.3 million lawsuit, while Greenberg is serving an approximately 11-year sentence after pleading guilty to underage sex trafficking and other crimes.