Tag Archives: sex trafficking

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Joel Greenberg was led into court by U.S. Marshals and appeared in a dark colored jail jumpsuit, shackled at the wrists and ankles and flanked by two attorneys. He spoke succinctly during the hearing, responding with one or two words to questions from a magistrate judge. In all, Greenberg faced 33 federal charges. But prosecutors will …

NBC News reports: Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican mired in controversy, told a crowd of Republican activists Saturday that sexual misconduct allegations involving him are as benign as legislative earmarks. “I’m being falsely accused of exchanging money for naughty favors,” Gaetz said at the Ohio Political Summit, a gathering sponsored by the Strongsville GOP in suburban Cleveland. “Yet, Congress …

The Daily Beast reports: A confession letter written by Joel Greenberg in the final months of the Trump presidency claims that he and close associate Rep. Matt Gaetz paid for sex with multiple women — as well as a girl who was 17 at the time. “On more than one occasion, this individual was involved in sexual activities with several …

Politico reports: Matt Gaetz’s former girlfriend has told friends she’s worried that the woman who is key to the federal government’s sex-crimes investigation tried to get her to incriminate the Florida lawmaker on a recorded call. The revelation raises the possibility that federal prosecutors have two top cooperating witnesses: the woman who was an alleged sex-trafficking victim when she was …

The Daily Beast reports: In the Venmo transactions reviewed by The Daily Beast, there are at least 16 payments in 2017 totaling nearly $5,000 to a woman who would later go on to date Matt Gaetz. Additionally, Greenberg paid her $1,500 over the course of two days in April 2017 using Cash App. That woman—who came to Washington, D.C. as …

Politico reports: Gaetz’s predicament as the subject of a serious investigation became clearer this winter when federal agents executed a search warrant and seized his iPhone, according to interviews with three people who were told of the matter by Gaetz, who changed his phone number in late December. Around that time, the sources said, federal agents also seized his former …

The New York Times reports: A former local official in Florida indicted in the Justice Department investigation that is also focused on Representative Matt Gaetz has been providing investigators with information since last year about an array of topics, including Mr. Gaetz’s activities, according to two people briefed on the matter. Joel Greenberg, a onetime county tax collector, disclosed to …

Fox News reports: Rep. Matt Gaetz, R.-Fla., who has vowed to fight allegations of sexual misconduct against him, took to Twitter late Sunday to challenge a CNN report that he was denied a meeting with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. “This is a total lie. I am on a pre-planned vacation with my fiancée. I was welcomed at Trump Doral …

USA Today reports: Former House Speaker John Boehner, once the nation’s highest-ranking Republican, told USA TODAY that embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz should resign if he is indicted. If the Florida congressman refuses, Boehner said, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy should move to expel him from the House. “When a member gets in trouble, it splashes back on all the members,” …

The Daily Beast reports: For the second week and row, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was target No. 1 on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.” And this time, anchor Colin Jost didn’t even bother to acknowledge how much he looks like the scandal-plagued congressman. “Well, our favorite Florida congressman, Matt Gaetz, is back in the news, but this time it’s good!” …

“Let me assure you, I have not yet begun to fight for the country I love and for the nation that I know benefits from America First principles. “I’m built for the battle and I’m not going anywhere. I won’t be intimidated by a lying media. “‘We have your back.’ That is the sentiment I have heard from thousands of …

The New York Times reports: A second senior aide to Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, abruptly quit in recent days as the congressman tries to fend off a Justice Department sex trafficking investigation and mounting public scrutiny, according to three people familiar with the decision. The aide, Devin Murphy, resigned as Mr. Gaetz’s legislative director on Friday. He told …

Politico reports: A boutique conservative consultancy group working on behalf of Rep. Matt Gaetz is threatening to sue journalists for their coverage of the embattled congressman. The entity, Logan Circle Group, is run by Harlan Hill, a former Democrat who became a top Trump surrogate during the 2016 presidential election. The official behind the recent legal threats is Erin Elmore, …

Law & Crime reports: One day after his friend Joel Greenberg’s lawyer signaled a potential cooperation agreement could put the congressman in jeopardy, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has revealed hiring high-powered criminal defense counsel: attorneys Mark Mukasey and Isabelle Kirshner. The son of a former federal judge and ex-U.S. attorney general, Mukasey is deeply tied to former President Donald Trump. …

The Daily Beast reports: In two late-night Venmo transactions in May 2018, Rep. Matt Gaetz sent his friend, the accused sex trafficker Joel Greenberg, $900. The next morning, over the course of eight minutes, Greenberg used the same app to send three young women varying sums of money. In total, the transactions amounted to $900. The memo field for the …

The Insider reports: GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz released a statement from the “women” of his office defending him amid an escalating sex scandal, but no women were named and no one signed the statement. The statement, signed by “The Women of the Office of U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz,” said: “After the shocking allegations last week in the press, we, the …

Politico reports: The legal peril Rep. Matt Gaetz is facing appeared to increase sharply after a court hearing indicated that one of his close friends, former Seminole County, Fla., tax collector Joel Greenberg, is likely cooperating with federal prosecutors. The federal probe looking into whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travel began …

Mediaite reports: Women for America First is hosting a “Save America Summit” at Trump National Doral, the former president’s Miami resort, this weekend the announcement says, “Congressman Matt Gaetz has been a fearless leader in Washington. Few members of Congress have been more willing than Matt to stand up and fight on behalf of President Trump and his America First …

“It’s got sex, it’s got drugs, it has Matt Gaetz, who is a very polarizing figure and he’s a very staunch supporter of Donald Trump so people either really love him or they really hate him. But I think it’s been really interesting. “Buying expensive gifts for women and sleeping with them – that isn’t illegal. We still need to …

From the Revolver piece tweeted today by Matt Gaetz: Is Gaetz guilty of a crime? Right now, nobody has produced any evidence of one. On the other hand, there is ample evidence the story is more complicated than the Times originally reported. It’s also possible that, like with the Russian collusion hoax, these spectacular allegations are just an excuse for …