‎From Homeless Shelter to Headlines: How a Florida Teen Became Central to the Matt Gaetz Scandal

By: Shawn
‎A 17-year-old Florida high school student spent nights in and out of a homeless shelter, working long shifts at McDonald’s just to make ends meet. All she wanted was a simple goal: to save enough money for braces to fix her teeth. But financial struggle pushed her into a world she never imagined.
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‎A struggling Florida teen’s quest for braces led to exploitation, exposing Matt Gaetz and revealing the personal story behind a national scandal.
‎Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times 
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‎In 2017, she turned to a website that promised men “companionship” with young women seeking money, claiming she was 18. This decision introduced her to powerful men, including Representative Matt Gaetz. What began as a desperate attempt to achieve a personal dream quickly spiraled into a life-altering situation.
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‎The encounters led to a Justice Department investigation into alleged child sex trafficking. Gaetz was never criminally charged, but the scandal derailed his political career. He resigned from Congress and withdrew from consideration for attorney general under intense scrutiny.
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‎The bipartisan House Ethics Committee later found substantial evidence that Gaetz had sexual relations with the teen, citing her testimony and the payments she received. The committee also highlighted violations of Florida’s statutory rape laws, adding a stark legal dimension to the political uproar.

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