Gaetz has strongly denied the "horrible" allegations in the Times, and declared in an op-ed Monday that he is "absolutely not resigning" from Congress. But now he sits in a jail cell and his friend U.S. Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg talks to the Orlando Sentinel during an interview at his office in Lake Mary, Fla. Greenberg has been charged with trafficking a minor, stalking a political opponent, producing fake IDs, identity theft, embezzlement and bribery. What began with blaring headlines about 'sex trafficking' has now turned into a general fishing exercise about vacations and consensual relationships with adults. Who is Matt Gaetz's friend Joel Greenberg? Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images, had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travels with him, said Monday that he had been approached by FBI agents. Congressman Matt Gaetz's friend, Joel Greenberg, who faces charges of sex trafficking of a minor, stalking, and bribery, is expected to make a plea deal. Shortly after his victory, Greenberg made headlines again as he pushed for his deputy tax collectors to be allowed to carry guns to work — a move opposed by then-attorney general Pam Bondi (R). The letters accused the teacher of having inappropriate sexual contact with a student. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Got a confidential news tip? Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector for Seminole County, Fla., is said to be providing prosecutors evidence against Rep. Matt Gaetz in a sex trafficking investigation. The tax collector also created impostor Facebook and Twitter accounts made to look like they belonged to the teacher and wrote posts that portrayed his adversary as a “segregationist and in favor of white supremacy,” the indictment said. On June 23, federal officers raided his home in Heathrow, Fla., and arrested the tax collector on charges that he had stalked a political adversary. Gaetz has also asserted that he is the victim of a multimillion-dollar extortion scheme involving a former DOJ official. He resigned the next day. The case against Greenberg led federal investigators to launch a probe into possible sex trafficking by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, multiple outlets have reported. The case against Greenberg — who had previously pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking of a minor, stalking, wire fraud and identity theft — led federal investigators to launch a probe into possible sex trafficking by Gaetz, multiple outlets have reported. Ex-tax collector Joel Greenberg's prosecution led to Matt Gaetz being under probe for sex trafficking (Facebook/ Getty Images) Congressman Matt Gaetz is under investigation by federal authorities, which reportedly stemmed from the prosecution of former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a New York Times report. Greenberg allegedly made the fake IDs to help “facilitate his efforts to engage in commercial sex acts,” according to the indictment. Joel Greenberg, a former county tax collector in Florida and associate of GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, is expected to strike a plea deal in his criminal case, his … He entered the race about 100 days before the primary election before defeating long-time Republican incumbent Ray Valdez in 2016. But it is clear that the two men, who posed for a photo together outside the White House in 2019, had ties in Florida, where they both first gained power in the GOP around 2016. The FBI is separately investigating the extortion claim, The Post reported. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Watch The Lawyer Of Joel Greenberg Uncomfortably Dodge Answering Whether His Client Introduced Matt Gaetz To Underage Girls Crime Cringe Politics Video Brian Tyler Cohen. His opponent had been embroiled in controversy over questionable but legal real estate practices he and his family members had engaged in, the Orlando Sentinel reported at the time. including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Roger Stone, who posed for a photo together outside the White House in 2019, owned an Orlando-based advertising company, independent audit conducted for the county. Then he was charged with child sex trafficking. “People are sick of crony capitalism and with politicians using their offices for political gain,” Greenberg said after winning the primary. Greenberg was released on bond to await his trial, but was taken into custody again in early March after he violated the conditions of his pretrial release by leaving his home after curfew to search for his wife, who told police she had left to “take a break from the stressful situation with Joel.”. All Rights Reserved. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. Joel Greenberg, the Tax Collector Tied to US Rep Matt Gaetz, Allegedly Once Blew $90k in Taxpayer Money On a Crypto Mining Rig Brianna Provenzano 3/31/21 7:03PM Federal authorities are investigating Gaetz as part of a broader probe into trafficking allegations against Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector who was arrested last year. An independent audit conducted for the county also found he had used public funds to buy body armor, weapons, ammunition and a drone. According to court records, a judge ruled Greenberg should remain in detention until his trial in June. That statement is attributed to "the women of Congressman Matt Gaetz's office," and it does not name any specific members of his staff. In August, federal investigators added charges that Greenberg had used his government position to commit identity theft and accused him of sex trafficking a child. A Division of NBCUniversal. Last summer, Greenberg’s political career came to a crashing halt with federal charges. He began wearing his tax collector badge around his neck like a police official, and in December 2017, flashed the badge to pull over a woman and accuse her of speeding, WESH reported. Former Seminole County, Fla., tax collector Joel Greenberg is charged with child sex trafficking and other crimes in a case that reportedly has led to an investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz … Greenberg’s entire stint in office was tumultuous, with both high-profile political battles and repeated scandals marring his tenure in Seminole County in Central Florida near Orlando. © 2021 CNBC LLC. Until last year, Joel Greenberg was an ascendant political player in Seminole County, Fla., where he unseated a longtime incumbent in the race for county tax collector, won a political battle to allow his deputies to carry guns on the job and flaunted his connections to prominent Republicans with close ties to then-President Donald Trump, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Roger Stone. (Greenberg himself had a documented history of posting anti-Muslim rhetoric, as Orlando Weekly reported in 2018.). Nelson told reporters he never saw any such illegal conduct and that his departure from Gaetz's office last fall was not related to the DOJ probe, which reportedly began in the final months of former President Donald Trump's term. A spokeswoman for Gaetz did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Scheller's remarks. The defense lawyer and the prosecutors did not say if Greenberg was expected to cooperate in the Gaetz probe, according to NBC. The New York Times first reported last month that the Department of Justice is investigating whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travels with him. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., does a television news interview outside the Capitol before the vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 on Thursday, June 25, 2020. Those servers overloaded a circuit breaker inside a county building, sparking a fire that caused $6,700 in damages that weren’t covered by insurance, the audit said. "I'm sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today," Greenberg's attorney Fritz Scheller told reporters Thursday afternoon. Rep. Matt Gaetz faces Justice Dept. Gaetz confirmed the inquiry in an interview with Axios, but has said the allegations are an attempt to extort his family. Joel Greenberg was a rising political star just over a year ago. Joel Greenberg is the former Seminole County tax collector. Ex-GOP official Joel Greenberg flaunted ties to Matt Gaetz. A spokesperson for Gaetz told CBS News on Wednesday night that the congressman "has never paid for sex, nor has he had sex with an underage girl. Scheller declined to answer when a reporter asked, "Did your client introduce Matt Gaetz to any underaged girls for sexual relations?". Joel Greenberg is expected to strike a plea deal in his criminal case, his lawyer and prosecutors said, NBC News reported. We want to hear from you. ", On Thursday afternoon, Gaetz shared a statement from his office, which defends the embattled Republican as "a principled and morally grounded leader" and vows to "stand with him.". "I'm sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today," Greenberg's attorney Fritz Scheller told reporters. Fritz Scheller, a dead ringer for The Dude from "The Big Lebowski," and defense attorney for Joel Greenberg, fielded some rather awkward questions on Thursday. Joel Greenberg, a former county tax collector and key figure in a federal investigation into alleged sex trafficking and misconduct involving GOP Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, is expected to reach a plea deal with prosecutors by next month, according to a report Thursday. “If there’s any way on earth — I’m just trying to stay off the front page of the damn newspaper: ‘Tax collector gets ticket.’ This is the kind of political crap I have to deal with,” Greenberg said in a plea captured on a police body camera. On Tuesday, the case against Greenberg, 36, gained national prominence after the New York Times reported that it had also sparked a separate criminal investigation into allegations that Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl. Joe Burbank | Orlando Sentinel | AP, File, Rep. Matt Gaetz's trouble may be worse than originally thought. He got the ticket anyway. It’s unclear exactly how Greenberg’s criminal case is connected to the Gaetz investigation; Greenberg’s lawyers did not immediately respond to messages from The Post. The federal investigators said Greenberg had posed as a “very concerned student” in anonymous letters sent to the school where the political rival worked as a teacher. He also purchased a $90,000 server room to benefit a cryptocurrency company he created. Joel Greenberg and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz on at least one occasion several years ago were recorded together entering the Seminole County Tax Collector’s … The signal of a forthcoming plea deal came during a status conference in Greenberg's case in Orlando. A month later, he used his title while trying to sway an actual police officer who stopped him for driving 39 mph in a 25 mph zone. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. NBC reported Wednesday that investigators are looking at whether women were paid to travel to the Bahamas with Gaetz for sex, and whether Gaetz and Greenberg used the internet to look up women they could pay for sex. He allegedly used his wife’s Snapchat account to track her location and showed up at his mother-in-law’s home uninvited around 5 a.m. His mother-in-law called the police, and Greenberg was arrested in Seminole County. Law enforcement sources told NBC that there is a separate probe underway regarding those extortion claims. Investigators said they found several fake IDs inside Greenberg’s home and accused the tax collector of improperly accessing a state database to access personal information of people he was in “sugar daddy” relationships with, including a minor victim between the ages of 14 and 17. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Meanwhile, Gaetz's former advisor Nathan Nelson said Monday that he had been approached by FBI agents and questioned about the GOP lawmaker's alleged involvement in illegal activities. investigation over alleged relationship with teen girl. The Justice Department is investigating allegations that Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel across state lines, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Joel Greenberg, a former county tax collector in Florida and associate of GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, is expected to strike a plea deal in his criminal case, his lawyer and prosecutors said Thursday, NBC News reported. In 2016, Greenberg — who owned an Orlando-based advertising company before running for office — rose to local prominence by defeating a three-decade incumbent in the Republican primary for Seminole County tax collector. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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