Matt Gaetz used his adopted Cuban son's PayPal to pay for 'sexual favors' from two women, lawyer for his victims claims

Matt Gaetz used his adopted son's PayPal account to pay women for 'sexual favors,' an attorney for two of the victims claimed.

Two women interviewed by the House Ethics Committee about Gaetz testified that he paid them directly and repeatedly via Venmo transactions 'for sex.'

Some of those payments were through the PayPal account of Nestor Galban, whom Gaetz has referred to as 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 the boy's mother had recently died from cancer when they all moved in together.  

He did not formally adopt Nestor but says: 'Our relationship as a family is defined by our love for each other, not by any paperwork.'

Nestor Galban was only 12 when he arrived in the U.S. from Cuba in 2014. He lived with Gaetz for four years after his arrival. He then lived with his biological father for a year before moving back in with Gaetz after he turned 18. Galban is now a U.S. citizen.

Gaetz resigned from Congress after Donald Trump nominated him to be his attorney general. His resignation came before the House could vote on whether they should release the investigation into Gaetz's alleged sexual relationship with a minor, drug abuse, and other charges.

The House Ethics Committee is weighing whether or not to release the report anyway.

Meanwhile it was revealed that one of the women 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 subsequently was told she was underage. 

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.' 

Trump, however, is standing by his nominee. The president-elect is personally calling senators to push them to vote to confirm as his attorney general.

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who received a call from Trump, told Axios: 'He believes Matt Gaetz is the one person who will have the fearlessness and ferociousness, really, to do what needs doing at the Department of Justice.' 

Gaetz, a pro-MAGA hardliner and Trump loyalist, has called for criminal investigations of Trump critics, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. He's also said he would 'abolish' agencies like the FBI, which he would oversee as attorney general. 

'One thing about Donald Trump, people should never confuse his support for one of his nominees as a tactical or strategic tool for somebody else,' Cramer said. 'And at least to this point, he's putting his own political capital behind it.' 

'And he's a pretty persuasive guy,' he added. 

Meanwhile, Trump allies are looking at getting Gaetz in as head of the Justice Department even if the Senate won't confirm him. 

They could use the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which would potentially allow Trump to temporarily make Gaetz head of the Department of Justice in an 'acting' capacity for an extended period of time. 

Gaetz faces an uphill climb to secure the 51 votes needed for Senate approval. There is also concerned 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 long time ally in the Justice Department.

Trump wants Gaetz confirmed '100%,' a source told CNN. 'He is not going to back off. He's all in.' 

Gaetz allegedly partied, used drugs and paid women for sex repeatedly between 2017 and 2019 while serving in the House of Representatives, per reports.

The bombshell allegations have been central to a House Ethics Committee investigation into the ex-lawmaker that was abruptly paused last week following Gaetz's resignation after being nominated by Trump to be attorney general. 

The attorney for two women involved in that same probe into Gaetz's conduct came forward Monday revealing damning new details about Gaetz. 

The Republican attended up to 10 'sex parties' where illegal drugs and 'group sex situations' were present, according to Orlando-based attorney Joel Leppard.

Both women represented by Leppard allege that Gaetz paid them for sex via Venmo, the attorney claims.   

'She testified [that] in July of 2017, at this house party, she was walking out to the pool area, and she looked to her right, and she saw Rep. Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was 17,' Leppard said Monday.

One of the witnesses alleges that she saw her friends having sex with Gaetz at a party in July 2017 against a game table thought to be an air hockey table.

The unnamed witness also says that 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 has done nothing wrong and that the allegations against him amount to a 'false smear.'

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 unequivocally NO,' he wrote. 'The lawful, consensual sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress.' 

Gaetz has also said that the Ethics Committee's actions seem to be unfairly targeting him, and he announced he would no longer comply with their investigation. 

'The answer to this question is unequivocally NO,' he wrote. 'The lawful, consensual sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress.' 

'This question about my sexual history reveals a sinister motive of the Committee to harm me and those who have had any association with me,' he said at the time. 

In June, the House Ethics Committee released a statement indicating its investigation was focused on whether Gaetz 'engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.' 

But Leppard claimed otherwise on Monday, saying that the women he represents, who were also involved in the committee investigation, have Venmo transactions 'for sex' that can prove the former lawmaker is not being truthful.

Leppard also revealed that Gaetz texted these women about whether 'party favors' and 'vitamins' would be available at the parties, which the pair understood to be references to illegal drugs.

When asked about the allegations against Gaetz, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfieffer told DailyMail.com: 'Matt Gaetz will be the next Attorney General. He's the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system.'

'These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration,' he added. 'The Biden Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years and cleared him of wrongdoing.'

In April 2021, Gaetz eloped to Southern California, marrying his girlfriend Ginger Luckey in a small ceremony on Catalina Island. 

At the time, Gaetz was under investigation as part of a probe that led to the arrest and plea deal of his close friend, Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole Count, Florida, tax collector.

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 public official. His plea agreement with prosecutors requires continued cooperation with an ongoing probe into sex trafficking.

Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison.

The Department of Justice investigated the sex trafficking allegations against Gaetz but ended its investigation last year without bringing criminal charges. Gaetz had denied all charges.