Federal investigators have expanded their inquiry stemming from the child sex trafficking and financial crimes involving former Republican county official Joel Greenberg and Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz to include political donors and others connected to local politics, ABC News reports.
Greenberg has pleaded guilty to a half dozen charges including money laundering, identity theft and child sex trafficking; he is reportedly cooperating with federal prosecutors. Gaetz is reportedly under investigation for child sex trafficking and misuse of funds for allegedly transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of sexual relations. He’s also accused of paying for sex with women introduced to him by Greenberg. Gaetz denies the charges.
Besides expanding the probe into Gaetz use of prostitutes, investigators are examining people who got contacts from Seminole County while Greenberg was the county’s tax collector. Greenberg has been accused of using county funds on unnecessary and extravagant goods and services, like weapons for the county tax collectors, hiring an outside PR consultant and spending more than $1.65 million to staff his office with friends and allies.
In one case, Greenberg approved a $42,000 contract for KI Consulting, a firm owned by Keith Ingersoll, a real estate investor and GOP donor, although no one in the office could say what Ingersoll did for the agency and an audit found no work product from the company. Ingersoll recently gained a modicum of internet fame when his arrest for driving his Rolls Royce while drunk went viral.
Another target is Gaetz friend Joe Elliott, who was on the payroll of Greenberg’s tax office as an assistant deputy tax collector but who’s previous work experience was co-hosting a sports radio talk show with Greenberg. Elliott reportedly has numerous text messages on the encrypted messaging app Signal with the girls Gaetz, Greenberg and others were sexually involved with.
Some of these messages, supplied to prosecutors by a cooperating witness, show Elliott trying to have a mutual friend intercede with a girl trafficked by Greenberg, encouraging her not to cooperate with investigators.