The attorney general usually approves indictments against sitting congressmen. In this way, the Justice Department is often able to avoid pressing criminal charges during an election. Gaetz has two Republican rivals in the Florida primaries, which are scheduled for Aug. 23. For comment, a spokesperson for Gaetz could not be reached.
Greenberg pleaded guilty for sex-trafficking the 17 year-old teen. He is now an adult. Gaetz denied all charges. He has repeatedly claimed that Greenberg is guilty and also admitted to falsely defaming a political rival.
Gaetz could also be charged with sexual trafficking of minors.
Prosecutors are looking into a 2018 Bahamas trip Gaetz took to determine if he and his two political allies have violated the Mann Act. This prohibits people from being taken across state lines to prostitution. Greenberg was not on the trip. However, his sex trafficking victim, who had just turned 18, was. Gaetz claimed that he has never paid for sex.
Gaetz is being investigated for obstructing justice by calling his ex-girlfriend, and another witness in the case. He also discussed the matter with them. Gaetz, who is a lawyer, denies obstructing justice. In return for her testimony, the ex-girlfriend wants to be granted immunity from the prosecutors. POLITICO won't name her or any other women involved in the case, to protect their privacy.
Gaetz is not the only suspect in the bomb radius of Greenbergs crime and his attempts to get a lower sentence in return for his cooperation. For six different crimes, he was sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 12 years. These included sex trafficking, stalking a political opponent, identity theft and defrauding local taxpayers through a cryptocurrency scheme. He also pleaded guilty for bribing an employee of the Small Business Administration to illegally obtain federal Covid-relief funds. Monday's prosecution suggested that Greenbergs case had ensnared many people and led to multiple lines of investigation.
Three people familiar with the matter said that Nabil Dajani (a mortgage broker) is one of the co-conspirators of the Covid-relief scheme. He will likely be charged in connection to the crime. When contacted Monday, Dajani declined further comment.
According to reports, Joe Ellicott, a longtime friend of Greenbergs is being investigated for sex-trafficking of the 17-year old in 2017. He declined to comment. According to some reports, Chris Dorworth was interviewed by federal prosecutors to determine whether he was involved with a scheme to recruit an unnamed ghost candidate for a state senator race. He denied this.
As POLITICO reported, two other men are being investigated in connection to Gaetz's travel to the Bahamas with Gaetz. They are former Secretary of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Halsey Beshears and Jason Pirozzolo of Orlando Aviation Authority.
Fritz Scheller, Greenberg's lawyer, stated Monday that Greenberg required more time to assist prosecutors and was on a path to rehabilitation and redemption.
Greenberg's testimony was gaining something, the judge responded: It is a way to reduce his sentence.
Presnell acknowledged that much of the investigation is confidential and said that he still needs to understand why it takes a year for someone to be sentenced, given that Greenberg pleaded guilty to the charges in May. Presnell said that hell would have Greenberg sentenced sometime in March and that this was a deadline we will have to meet.
Handberg, the prosecutor, stated that Greenberg's information was helpful, but sometimes unanticipated.
Handberg stated that the investigators in this case followed the evidence wherever it took them. This is clearly not a typical situation.
