Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg pleads guilty in federal sex trafficking case By Michael Kaplan, Kathryn Watson
May 17, 2021 / 11:16 AM / CBS News Plea deal for associate of Matt Gaetz
Orlando, Florida Joel Greenberg, a former county tax collector and associate of Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, pleaded guilty on Monday to six federal charges, including child sex trafficking and wire fraud.
Greenberg entered the plea during a hearing before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando.
Clad in a dark blue prison jumpsuit and handcuffs, Greenberg agreed to fully cooperate with the U.S. government. Greenberg told Judge Leslie Hoffman he understood the charges brought against him, and that by pleading guilty he was waiving his right to trial.
Joel Greenberg, a former tax official and associate of the embattled Florida congressman, will cooperate with federal investigators as part of the deal.
This artist rendering shows Joel Greenberg, right, and his attorney Fritz Scheller, left, during a hearing in federal court in Orlando, Fla., on Monday. (AP Photo/Steve Bridges)
ORLANDO, Fla. (CN) A former Florida tax collector and close associate of Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz pleaded guilty Monday to six federal charges, including child sex trafficking.
At a hearing inside the Orlando federal courthouse, Joel Greenberg formally changed his not guilty plea to guilty, days after prosecutors released an 86-page plea agreement that dropped dozens of charges in exchange for his cooperation in other federal investigations.
Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg pleads guilty to 6 federal charges cbsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Matt Gaetz Describes Sexual Misconduct Claims Against Him As Naughty Favors
On 5/16/21 at 7:50 AM EDT
Under fire Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has allegedly equated the serious sexual misconduct allegations he is facing to exchanging money for naughty favors.
Donald Trump loyalist Rep. Gaetz is alleged to have made the comments while addressing Republicans during Saturday s Ohio Political Summit in Strongsville.
According to NBC News, Rep. Gaetz said: I m being falsely accused of exchanging money for naughty favors.
Read more Yet, Congress has re-instituted a process that legalizes the corrupt act of exchanging money for favors, through earmarks, and everybody knows that s the corruption.
In a major breakthrough in the federal sex crime probe involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, his associate Joel Greenberg is now not only pleading guilty, but planning on cooperating with federal investigators. MSNBC’s Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber is joined by former SDNY prosecutor Danya Perry and former U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance to discuss why this could be bad news for Gaetz. He denies all allegations and has not been charged.