ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor's Note: The video above is from May 17, 2021.
A federal court on Thursday formally accepted the guilty plea of Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector and ex-associate of Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Greenberg initially pleaded guilty in May to six criminal charges – including sex trafficking with a child, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and stalking.
In previously-obtained court documents, Greenberg admitted to being involved in "sugar daddy" relationships where he paid for sex with women and then attempted to disguise them as "school-related" or other living expenses.
Documents reveal Greenberg used personal accounts and an account belonging to the Seminole County Tax Collector's Office to conduct more than 150 transactions totaling to more than $70,000 for commercial sex.
One of the women was a minor, documents show. Greenberg is reported to have contacted her at times through Snapchat and engaged in sex with her as a minor on at least seven occasions. Some of those encounters happened at Florida hotels and included the minor in sexual acts with other men, according to the plea agreement.
Other offenses admitted to by Greenberg in court documents include using another individual's information to make a fake driver's license for himself, stealing surrendered driver's licenses, fraudulently acquiring cryptocurrency with credit cards obtained in the tax collector's office's name, and using a Small Business Administration employee to obtain $432,700 in false loans under the CARES Act.
Greenberg's plea agreement with the federal government stipulates that he will cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of other people.
Greenberg will be required to pay restitution to the minor in the case, along with Seminole County and his former tax collector's office. He is also required to forfeit assets totaling up to $654,799.95 for funds he obtained through the acts to which he is pleading guilty.
Court documents show Greenberg must register as a sex offender.
A total of 27 other charges are being dismissed as part of the plea deal. But, if Greenberg stops cooperating or gives false information to prosecutors, the deal is over.
Greenberg's sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 19 at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando.
According to the Department of Justice, Greenberg faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to, life in prison for the sex trafficking of a child charge and two years for aggravated identity theft.
Congressman Matt Gaetz was not mentioned in the plea agreement or during court proceedings, but the now-accepted plea deal potentially escalates the legal and political jeopardy he is facing and signals that Greenberg could potentially serve as a witness in the Justice Department’s investigation into his former associate.
Federal prosecutors are examining whether Gaetz paid underage girls or offered them gifts in exchange for sex, according to people familiar with the matter. Gaetz has vehemently denied the allegations and any wrongdoing and insists he will not resign his seat in Congress.
Investigators have also been looking at whether Gaetz and his associates tried to secure government jobs for some of the women, the people said. They are scrutinizing Gaetz’s connections to the medical marijuana sector, including whether his associates sought to influence legislation Gaetz sponsored.
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