Matt Gaetz Bought Sex with His 'Son' Nestor's PayPal Account, Women Reportedly Told House Investigators
The former Florida congressman, who was recently nominated to serve as Donald Trump's attorney general, has been accused of paying women for "sexual favors" and having sex with a minor
Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly paid to have sex with women using his "son" Nestor Galban's PayPal account — the latest detail to emerge amid sexual misconduct allegations that Gaetz has vehemently denied.
Attorney Joel Leppard told The Washington Post on Monday that two of his female clients previously testified to the House Ethics Committee about Gaetz, 42, allegedly buying "sexual favors" and having sex with a minor. According to Leppard, Galban's PayPal was one of the sources of payment that they received from Gaetz.
Galban, who is in his 20s, has been described by Gaetz as an "adopted son," though they are not officially linked. The former congressman told PEOPLE in 2020 that he and Galban are "a modern family" that is "defined by our love for each other, not by any paperwork."
PEOPLE reached out to Galban for comment after Leppard mentioned his PayPal account.
In separate conversations with CNN, Leppard claimed that one of the women he represents was at a party with Gaetz in July 2017. He said his client testified to House Ethics investigators that she witnessed "her friend having sex with Representative Gaetz. And her friend at that time was 17," he said.
According to Leppard, the women also testified that payments for sex persisted through early 2019. He told CNN that meetups at events and trips occurred "perhaps over 10 times over the course of July 2017 to early January 2019."
Gaetz has rejected all previous allegations that he had sex with minors or paid for sex.
Gaetz resigned from Congress on Wednesday, Nov. 13, shortly after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for attorney general. He vacated his seat just days before the House Ethics Committee was set to release a report about their investigation into Gaetz over sex trafficking and illicit drug use claims.
Despite his resignation, members of both major political parties have called for the report to be made public before the Senate is asked to vote on Gaetz's attorney general nomination.
The Department of Justice previously declined to bring charges against Gaetz after investigating him as part of a sex trafficking probe.
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