Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector, made hundreds of searches on people including pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake using a state database containing personal information, according to documents obtained by 10 Tampa Bay.
Those alleged searches were done using Florida’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database, known as DAVID, a spokesperson for the Tax Collector's Office said.
Other names that appeared on Greenberg's search history, which date back to August 2017, include current U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz - who is currently under investigation for allegedly paying underage girls or offering them gifts in exchange for sex - and the elderly father of a Seminole County commissioner.
The DAVID system gives users access to every Florida driver’s license number, address, signature, medical and disability information, Social Security number, date of birth, vehicle information, and emergency contact information.
Greenberg pleaded guilty in May to six criminal charges, including sex trafficking with a child, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and stalking. He is an ex-associate of Gaetz.
An investigation is ongoing into who and what Greenberg searched, the Tax Collector's Office said.
10 Investigates showed in our November 2020 story, "Abuse of Access," how some government workers, including law enforcement officers, were abusing their access to sensitive personal information contained in DAVID.
DAVID is meant to be a tool for government agencies and law enforcement officers to confirm information about Florida drivers, but 10 Investigates discovered some government employees were using the database to gather information for personal reasons.
More than 900 state and local workers have gotten caught misusing that access since 2015, some using it to track their former romantic partners.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in response to 10 Investigates' story, which will require officers to get training on how to use state databases appropriately and will quadruple penalties for government workers who misuse electronic databases from $500 to $2,000.
