Matt Gaetz used his adopted son’s PayPal account to pay women for “sexual favors,” an attorney for two of the victims alleged.
Two women interviewed by the House Ethics Committee about Gaetz testified that he paid them directly and repeatedly through Venmo transactions “for sex.”
Some of those payments went through the PayPal account of Nestor Galban, who Gaetz called his “adopted son.”
Gaetz shocked Congress in 2020 when he revealed he had an adopted son. He said he was dating Galban’s sister and that the boy’s mother had recently died of cancer when they all moved in together.
He has not formally adopted Nestor, but says, “Our relationship as a family is defined by our love for each other, not by paperwork.”
Nestor Galban was just 12 when he arrived in the US from Cuba in 2014. After his arrival he lived with Gaetz for four years. He then lived with his biological father for a year before moving back in with Gaetz after he turned eighteen. Galban is now a US citizen.
Gaetz resigned from Congress after Donald Trump nominated him as his attorney general. His resignation came before the House could vote on whether to release the investigation into Gaetz’s alleged sexual relationship with a minor, drug abuse and other charges.
The House of Representatives Ethics Committee is considering whether to release the report after all.
Nestor Galban and Matt Gaetz – Galban has lived with Gaetz since he was twelve and came to the United States from Cuba; Gaetz had a relationship with Galban’s sister and calls him his ‘adopted son’
Ginger Gaetz, Nestor Galban, Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz
Meanwhile, it was revealed that one of the women had testified to the ethics committee that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party.
Florida attorney Joel Leppard said his client witnessed Gaetz having sex with the minor at a drug-fueled party in July 2017. Gaetz was unaware of her age at the time but was subsequently told she was a minor.
That woman and another woman testified that they were paid by Gaetz to have sex with him and other individuals who attended these “sex parties.”
However, Trump stands behind his candidate. The President-elect is personally calling on Senators to urge them to vote for their nomination as Attorney General.
Republican Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakotawho received a call from Trump, said Axios: “He believes Matt Gaetz is the only person who will have the fearlessness and ferocity to do what needs to be done at the Justice Department.”
Gaetz, a pro-MAGA hardliner and Trump loyalist, has done just that called for criminal investigations into Trump critics, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. He has also said he would “abolish” agencies like the FBI, which he would oversee as attorney general.
“One thing about Donald Trump is that people should never confuse his support for one of his nominees as a tactical or strategic tool for someone else,” Cramer said. “And so far he’s putting his own political capital behind it.”
“And he’s a pretty convincing guy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Trump allies are trying to appoint Gaetz to head the Justice Department even though the Senate will not confirm him.
They could take advantage of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which could potentially allow Trump to temporarily appoint Gaetz to head the Justice Department in an “acting” capacity for a longer period of time.
Gaetz faces an uphill climb to secure the 51 votes needed for Senate confirmation. There are also concerns that the spectacle of confirmation hearings could be a distraction in the first few months of Trump’s second term.
Still, Trump appears undeterred when it comes to getting his longtime ally in the Justice Department.
Trump wants Gaetz confirmed “100%,” a source said CNN. ‘He won’t back down. He’s all in.’
Donald Trump doubles down on his support for Matt Gaetz (left) as attorney general – over Gaetz with Trump at the 2023 Iowa State Fair
In April 2021, Matt Gaetz fled to Southern California, where he married his girlfriend Ginger Luckey
Gaetz said he had been dating Galban’s sister and that the boy’s mother had recently died
Matt Gaetz and Nestor in 2012
Matt Gaetz shocked Congress when he revealed in 2020 that he had a son
Gaetz is alleged to have repeatedly partied, used drugs and paid women for sex while serving time in prison between 2017 and 2019 House of Representatives, according to reports.
The allegations were at the center of a House Ethics Committee investigation into the ex-lawmaker, which was abruptly halted last week following Gaetz’s resignation after being nominated by Trump as attorney general.
The attorney for two women involved in that same investigation into Gaetz’s conduct came forward Monday and revealed damning new details about Gaetz.
According to Orlando attorney Joel Leppard, the Republican attended as many as 10 “sex parties” where illegal drugs and “group sex situations” were present.
Both women represented by Leppard allege Gaetz paid them for sex through Venmo, the attorney alleges.
“She testified [that] In July 2017, during a house party, she walked to the pool, looked to her right and saw Representative Gaetz having sex with her girlfriend, who was 17,” Leppard said Monday.
One of the witnesses claims she saw her friends having sex with Gaetz at a party in July 2017 at a gaming table believed to be an air hockey table.
The unnamed witness also says her friend was 17 years old at the time.
Gaetz was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives in January 2017, so all of the allegations against him come during his tenure as a federal employee.
He claimed he had done nothing wrong and that the allegations against him amounted to a “false slander.”
Gaetz also said he had never engaged in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18 in a letter posted to his social media in September.
“The answer to this question is an unequivocal NO,” he wrote. “The lawful, consensual sexual activity of adults is not the business of Congress.”
Gaetz has also said that the Ethics Commission’s actions appear to have unfairly targeted him, and he announced that he would no longer comply with their investigation.
“The answer to this question is an unequivocal NO,” he wrote. “The lawful, consensual sexual activity of adults is not the business of Congress.”
“This question about my sexual history reveals a sinister motive by the committee to harm me and those who have had any relationship with me,” he said at the time.
In June, the House of Representatives Ethics Committee released a statement saying its investigation focused on whether Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted inappropriate gifts, granted special privileges and favors to individuals with with whom he had a personal relationship, and attempted to obstruct government investigations into his conduct.”
Joel Leppard of Leppard Law represents two women making allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz
But Leppard claimed otherwise on Monday, saying the women he represents, who were also involved in the committee investigation, have Venmo transactions “for sex” that could prove the former lawmaker is not being truthful.
Leppard also revealed that Gaetz texted these women about whether there would be “party favors” and “vitamins” available at the parties, which the pair said were references to illegal drugs.
When asked about the allegations against Gaetz, Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfieffer told DailyMail.com: “Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He is the right man for the job and will put an end to the weaponization of our justice system.”
“These are baseless accusations designed to derail the second Trump administration,” he added. “Biden’s Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years and cleared him of wrongdoing.”
In April 2021, Gaetz fled to Southern California and married his girlfriend Ginger Luckey in a small ceremony on Catalina Island.
At the time, Gaetz was under investigation as part of an investigation that led to the arrest and plea deal of his close friend, Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector from Seminole Count, Florida.
Greenberg pleaded guilty in May 2020 to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a child, identity theft, stalking, wire fraud and conspiracy to bribe a government official. His plea deal with prosecutors requires continued cooperation with an ongoing sex trafficking investigation.
Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison in late 2022.
The Justice Department investigated sex trafficking allegations against Gaetz, but ended the investigation last year without filing criminal charges. Gaetz had denied all allegations.