Beauty queen accuses Florida congressman of threatening to release intimate videos after breakup

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., testifies at Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

ORLANDO, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, a central Florida Republican, has been accused by a beauty pageant titleholder of threatening to release intimate videos and private images of her after she ended their romantic relationship, according to a report filed with law enforcement last month.

Mills on Wednesday denied the allegations, which were first made by the woman in a July 14 report filed with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in north Florida.

“These claims are false and misrepresent the nature of my interactions,” Mills said in a statement. “I have always conducted myself with integrity, both personally and in service to Florida’s 7th District.”

The sheriff’s office forwarded the information to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is now handling the case, Sgt. Steven Khachigan, a spokesman for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, said in an email.

No charges have been filed. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Wednesday that it doesn’t comment on any active inquiries or investigations.

In his statement, Mills said the allegations were being pushed by a former political opponent, Lake County commissioner Anthony Sabatini, who ran against him in a 2022 GOP primary for the House seat.

“Anthony Sabatini is weaponizing the legal system to launch a political attack against the man who beat him in the primary, using his corporate legal office to push a narrative built on lies and flawed legal arguments — all to score political headlines,” Mills said.

Mills said he wouldn’t comment further.

“My team and I will fully cooperate to ensure the truth is made clear. I remain focused on serving my constituents and advancing America First policies,” Mills said in the statement.

Sabatini didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry, but posted on social media on Wednesday: “Mills must resign.”

The 25-year-old woman told sheriff’s office investigators that she started a romantic relationship with Mills in 2021, and it ended in February. During their time together, she lived with him at a home in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, while the congressman traveled back and forth from Washington. At the time they met, Mills was still married but had separated from his wife, and he told her that the divorce was finalized in 2024, she said.

The woman said she moved out of the New Smyrna Beach home earlier this year and moved to Columbia County following news reports about allegations against Mills from another woman described as his girlfriend in Washington. After she left, the congressman contacted her numerous times, threatening to release nude images of her and videos of her and Mills engaging in sex acts, she said in the sheriff’s office report.

The congressman also threatened to harm any men that the woman planned to date in the future, she said.

Mills was first elected to Congress in 2022, and his district stretches from the Orlando area to the Daytona Beach area.

Mike Schneider, The Associated Press