Despite his attempts to portray himself as a victim of a multimillion-dollar extortion plot, both criminal and civil court actions are forthcoming against embattled Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a source familiar with the matter has revealed.
Gaetz, 38, is expected to be indicted in a federal court over the next few weeks in connection to sexual activity with at least one minor, a 17-year-old girl, after the alleged victim testified before a Florida grand jury that she had sex with the conservative Republican before she turned 18, DailyMail.com has learned.
The staunch Trump supporter was revealed to be under investigation by the Justice Department over claims he had a sexual relationship with a minor two years ago and trafficked her across state lines.
The bombshell report spurred a bizarre chain of events in its wake after Gaetz furiously refuted the allegations in a series of interviews by sensationally claiming they are part of a former DOJ official’s plot to extort $25million from his family.
A source familiar with the congressman’s mounting troubles says Gaetz is now about to be the target of a defamation lawsuit over his statements.
Rep Matt Gaetz (left) is set to be sued for defamation by former Justice Department official David McGee (right) DailyMail.com has learned
Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ’s Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations ‘go away’ on Fox News Tuesday
During his appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight Tuesday, Gaetz insisted the sex allegations were ‘totally false’ and an extortion attempt led by David McGee, a former federal prosecutor and now one of Pensacola’s best-known attorneys.
McGee was not available to comment when DailyMail.com called his office.
‘The congressman impugned and damaged the reputation of someone who had nothing to do with this,’ the source told DailyMail.com.
‘That’s going to cost him. Gaetz is a sleaze-bag who used a professional with a sterling reputation to divert the attention on a sex investigation focused on him.’
McGee has denied he tried to extort Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe other than being one of ‘a thousand people who have heard the rumors’ about the congressman’s alleged actions with underage girls.
The federal investigation, which reportedly involves photos of Gaetz taking part in an orgy, is focusing on his friendship with Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who was elected Seminole County Tax Collector in 2016.
In August, federal authorities charged Greenberg with misusing his government position to commit identify theft and sex trafficking children.
Rep Matt Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016. Gaetz claimed McGee had even met with Don, who wore a wire during the meeting
A source told Dailymail.com the purpose of McGee’s meeting was to discuss attempts to raise $25million to secure privately the liberation of U.S. hostage Robert Levinson (right) a former DEA and FBI agent who disappeared on an Iranian island in 2007 while on a mission for the CIA
The feds claim Greenberg reportedly used state government databases to access personal information of women with whom he had ‘a sugar daddy’ relationship, including an underage girl.
A New York Times report Thursday revealed further details of the investigation including claims that Gaetz had paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels.
Greenberg (pictured) was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17
Gaetz, however, has been adamant that he is a victim of a sinister scheme, saying he and his father – former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz – had contacted authorities and were working with the FBI to investigate the matter.
Don, 73, backed up his son’s claims Wednesday confirming he had worn a wire to try to expose McGee’s apparent plot during a visit to the lawyer’s office.
They accused McGee of demanding the large sum of cash in exchange for making the allegations against Gaetz ‘go away.’
According to the source, the purpose of Don and McGee’s meeting was to discuss attempts to raise $25million to secure privately the liberation of U.S. hostage Robert Levinson, a former DEA and FBI agent who disappeared on an Iranian island in 2007 while on a mission for the CIA.
The source confirmed the elder Gaetz asked to meet McGee because he had been approached by two men who claimed they could get Levinson freed for $25 million.
Gaetz knew McGee had been the Levinson’s family lawyer since he worked with Levinson in the 1990s when Levinson was with the FBI.
Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through Greenberg, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Greenberg, Gaetz and Roger Stone pictured together in 2017
Greenberg met the women through ‘sugar daddy’ websites such as SeekingArrangement, investigators believe
‘Don started asking McGee if the men who approached him were legitimate, whether Levinson could still be alive despite his family’s claims he was dead, and whether he could trust the money would be spent the right way,’ the source said.
‘At one point in the conversation, Don brought up his son out of the blue. Don said he was worried about Matt and said: ‘My son is under federal investigation.’
‘McGee had heard the rumors but didn’t take the bait and said nothing. They then went back to taking about Levinson.’
What Matt Gaetz claimed on Carlson’s show is that his dad was wired and recorded his conversation with McGee.
The audio has yet to be released, but Matt Gaetz claims it will provide proof McGee offered to help get rid of the investigation into Matt in exchange for the $25 million to free Levinson.
The source, however, says that conversation never took place.
‘McGee did not say or do anything untoward,’ the source said. ‘At no time does McGee mention money, a bribe, a favor, a threat, a promise or anything like that.
The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while ‘threatening to smear my name’
‘But by bringing up McGee’s name on Fox Nation, Matt made a big mistake.’
Gaetz’s looming legal troubles mark the latest twist in the bizarre saga involving the Trump ally.
According to The New York Times, the DOJ investigation is also looking into whether one of the women who had sexual relationship with Gaetz was 17 at the time and whether he paid her or gave her gifts to have sex with him.
Sources said the minor is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz’s sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the the congressman and Greenburg also had sex with the minor.
The two men were pictured together on social media with Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, in 2017.
Gaetz denies ever having paid anyone for sex and has not been charged with any crime.
Fresh allegations surfaced Thursday claiming Gaetz had shown other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasted about his sexual conquests to his colleagues.
Multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, told CNN, the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor at the US Capitol.
The report sparked further calls for the lawmaker to resign from his role.
