A hacker allegedly accessed a file containing testimony from a woman claiming she had sex with Matt Gaetz when she was 17, sparking controversy.
The New York Times reported that a hacker, who goes online with the name name Altam Beezley, gained access to files containing confidential testimony from a woman who claims she had sex with Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s attorney general pick.
The system hosting the file was not hacked, instead, the file-sharing service was not correctly secured exposing documents to the internet without restrictions.
The documents originate from a civil suit filed by Christopher Dorworth, a friend of Matt Gaetz, against Joel Greenberg and a woman alleging defamation. The woman and Greenberg, who is serving an 11-year sentence for sex trafficking, claimed Dorworth hosted drug-fueled parties involving Gaetz. The suit includes 24 exhibits from witnesses as part of the defense.
“The file of 24 exhibits is said to include sworn testimony by a woman who said that she had sex with Mr. Gaetz in 2017 when she was 17, as well as corroborating testimony by a second woman who said that she witnessed the encounter.” reported the New York Times. “The information was downloaded by a person using the name Altam Beezley at 1:23 p.m. on Monday, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly. A lawyer connected to the case sent an email to the address associated with Altam Beezley, only to be informed in an automated reply that the recipient does not exist.”
Joel Greenberg’s lawyers and the woman alleging defamation by Christopher Dorworth submitted sworn witness statements, including 24 exhibits, as part of their response. The compromised documents also include testimony from Dorworth, his wife, and Michael Fischer, Gaetz’s former campaign treasurer. The documentation includes materials like gate logs from the night of July 2017 when the alleged event took place.
At this time, the alleged hacker has yet to publicly leak the documents online. Altam Beezley had not contacted the lawyers as of Tuesday,
The US government could disclose the sealed documents linked to Justice Department and House Ethics Committee investigations into Matt Gaetz soon. The Ethics panel will vote Wednesday on releasing its findings regarding the former congressman.
Lawyer Joel Leppard Leppard represents two women who told a House panel investigating Gaetz that they were paid for sex with the former Republican congressman and that one of the women witnessed Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was then 17, at a house party in 2017.
The material poses serious risks for the witnesses because include their personal information, and of course, it could damage Mr. Gaetz.
At this time, Altam Beezley’s motivation is unclear.
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Pierluigi Paganini
(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Matt Gaetz)
