- Oct 17, 2011
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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.
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.
Greenberg was initially charged last summer in a bare-bones indictment that prosecutors have since superseded multiple times. He now faces a 33-count indictment that includes charges of sex trafficking of a minor, stealing from the tax office he once led and other allegations.
It was in the course of investigating Greenberg, people familiar with the matter have said, that investigators came across evidence linking Gaetz to possible sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old girl.
Gaetz and his attorneys are likely to seek to cast Greenberg as a liar who made up allegations against the congressman to reduce his own, significant legal exposure, and prosecutors would not be likely to rely on his testimony unless it was corroborated by other evidence.
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.
Greenberg was initially charged last summer in a bare-bones indictment that prosecutors have since superseded multiple times. He now faces a 33-count indictment that includes charges of sex trafficking of a minor, stealing from the tax office he once led and other allegations.
It was in the course of investigating Greenberg, people familiar with the matter have said, that investigators came across evidence linking Gaetz to possible sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old girl.
Gaetz and his attorneys are likely to seek to cast Greenberg as a liar who made up allegations against the congressman to reduce his own, significant legal exposure, and prosecutors would not be likely to rely on his testimony unless it was corroborated by other evidence.
