Bad news for Matt Gaetz: His crony Joel Greenberg plans to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors

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CNN Gaetz ally plans to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/13/politics ... index.html

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WAPO Gaetz associate signals he will plead guilty in federal case, a worrisome development for the congressman https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

A Florida politician who is central to the investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz for possible sex trafficking of a minor signaled Thursday that he will plead guilty in his own federal case, a court entry shows, a troubling development for the congressman as it suggests prosecutors have secured a potentially important witness against him.

Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector for Seminole County, Fla., had since last year been outlining to prosecutors how he and Gaetz (R-Fla.) would pay women for sex using cash or gifts as he tried to negotiate a plea deal to resolve his own legal woes, according to a person familiar with the matter. Gaetz has adamantly denied paying for sex.

On Thursday, a federal court in Orlando scheduled a “change of plea hearing” in Greenberg’s case for Monday, indicating he has reached such a deal.

The specifics of Greenberg’s plea were not immediately filed in court, and it was not immediately clear to what specific charges and facts he would admit, or what benefit he would receive for doing so. Plea deals do not necessarily require defendants to cooperate — though doing so is one of the best ways they have to reduce their ultimate sentence, and Greenberg already had been providing investigators with information about Gaetz in hopes of leniency. The deal still must be accepted by a federal judge.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, which has been handling the Greenberg case, declined to comment beyond the court entry, as did Greenberg’s attorney. Harlan Hill, a spokesman for Gaetz, noted in a statement that the initial charges against Greenberg stemmed from his fabricating accusations and evidence against a political opponent.

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Keeping my fingers crossed, and my toes.....