Matt Gaetz swindled by ‘malicious actors’ in $155K boat sale boondoggle

Rep. Matt Gaetz says he was swindled out of cash by “malicious actors” after wiring them money as part of a $155,000 boat purchase.

The 41-foot vessel named Ol’ Pappy was actually paid for by Gaetz fiancé Ginger Luckey, a sister of tech mogul Palmer Luckey.

Reps for the Florida GOP congressman did not immediately respond to request for comment, but told local WFLA that the couple had been a victim of “first domestic and now foreign” scammers and that “federal law enforcement is both aware of and actively pursuing.”

The boat, which has since been renamed “Thirsty,” remains docked in a marina in St. Petersburg.

Several other boat owners in the area said they recalled Gaetz and Luckey surveying the vessel before the deal to purchase allegedly collapsed in April.

The boat debacle is only the latest bad news for Gaetz who is allegedly being investigated by the feds over potentially violating federal sex trafficking laws. Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector and close Gaetz ally, has already plead guilty to federal sex trafficking charges and is now reportedly cooperating with authorities.

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