Rep. Matt Gaetz

[aubiefifty 18,231]

As the federal investigation into Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz continues into the summer, sources tell ABC News that Gaetz's one-time wingman has been steadily providing information and handing over potential evidence that could implicate the Florida congressman and others in the sprawling probe.

Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, as part of his ongoing cooperation with prosecutors, has provided investigators with years of Venmo and Cash App transactions and thousands of photos and videos, as well as access to personal social media accounts, sources said.

Private messages exclusively reviewed by ABC News potentially shed new light on the process by which Greenberg allegedly met women online who were paid for sex, and introduced them to the Florida congressman and other associates.

Greenberg pleaded guilty in May to multiple federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor and introducing her to other "adult men" who also had sex with her when she was underage. Greenberg agreed to provide "substantial assistance" to prosecutors as part of their ongoing investigation.

Gaetz, who currently sits at the center of the ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation into allegations that he had sex with a minor who he also met through Greenberg, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime.

MORE: Gaetz campaign paying former Epstein lawyer amid sex trafficking investigation

ABC News has reviewed Google Voice text messages from September 2018 that appear to show Greenberg texting with a woman he met online. In the texts, Greenberg appears to discuss payment options and asks the woman if she would take drugs; he then sets up a get-together with himself, Gaetz, the woman, and one of her friends.

"I have a friend flying in and we are trying to make plans for tonight. What are your plans for later," Greenberg wrote to the woman, whose identity ABC News is withholding for privacy purposes. "And how much of an allowance will you be requiring :)" Greenberg added.

The woman responded by telling Greenberg she has "a friend who introduced me to the website that I could bring" and said she "usually" requires "$400 per meet."

Greenberg then sent the woman a photo of Gaetz taking a selfie with students at Pea Ridge Elementary from a 2017 visit, and wrote, "My friend," indicating that Gaetz would be the friend joining him.

"Oooh my friend thinks he's really cute!" the woman responded.

 

PHOTO: Rep. Matt Gaetz addresses supporters at a Matt Gaetz Florida Man Freedom Tour event at the Hilton Melbourne Beach, July 31, 2021, in Indialantic, Fla. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE)

 

Greenberg then replied that Gaetz was "down here only for the day," adding "we work hard and play hard," before asking, "Have you ever tried molly," referring to the drug MDMA, or Ecstasy.

As Greenberg was discussing payment for the get-together, the woman asked if Gaetz used the same website Greenberg had used to meet her. Greenberg replied, in part, "He knows the deal :)," referring to the Florida congressman. The former tax collector then said he would book a "suite Downtown" for the gathering.

Asked about the allegations reported in this article, Harlan Hill, a spokesperson for Gaetz, told ABC News, "After months of media coverage, not one woman has come forward to accuse Rep. Gaetz of wrongdoing. Not even President Biden can say that. That others might invite people unbeknownst to a U.S. Congressman to functions he may or may not attend is the everyday life of a political figure. Your story references people the congressman doesn't know, things he hasn't done and messages he neither sent nor received."

"Rep. Gaetz addressed the debunked allegations against him -- and their origin in an extortion plot -- during his Firebrand podcast episode last week," Hill added. "People should download and watch."

Gaetz himself has also forcefully pushed back against reports of the investigation. After the self-described "sugar daddy" website Seeking.com released a statement claiming to have "no knowledge of Mr. Gaetz ever having an account on the website," Gaetz said on Twitter that "we are seeing the collapse of the Fake News media's lies."

However, The New York Times reported in April that investigators believe it was Greenberg who initially met women through online sugar daddy websites -- which connect people who go on dates in exchange for gifts and allowances -- and then "introduced the women to Mr. Gaetz, who also had sex with them."

MORE: As Gaetz investigation ramps up, feds mount sweeping probe into Central Florida political scene: Sources

Additional Facebook messages reviewed by ABC News paint a similar picture, showing Greenberg appearing to organize a gathering in July 2018 that included Gaetz and women the former tax collector had allegedly been paying for sex, at the home of Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida hand doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and, according to reports, allegedly accompanied Gaetz on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing.

The Facebook messages also appear to show Greenberg offering to introduce a Florida media entrepreneur at the meet-up at Pirozzolo's home, which Greenberg described as "our safe place."

"You should come meet the group," Greenberg wrote to the entrepreneur, according to the messages. He then mentioned the names of two girls repeatedly featured on the former tax collector's Venmo transactions, which ABC News has reviewed.

"I think it would be a wise investment of time. You might already know Jason Pirrazolo ... but I'd like for you to meet Congressman Matt Gaetz," Greenberg wrote. "Gaetz is a wild man, but great dude."

Greenberg said in the message that the party would have "6-7 chicks" and "just 3-4 guys." He then provided directions to Pirrazolo's house, adding, "It's our safe place, all things considered."

 

PHOTO: Former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg talks to the Orlando Sentinel in September 2019, during an interview at his office in Lake Mary, Fla. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS/Newscom, FILE)

 

A few days after the date of the July gathering, the entrepreneur posted a photo on Instagram that appeared to come from a separate get-together and includes the two young women Greenberg had mentioned in his private messages. ABC News is withholding the names of the two women for privacy purposes.

It's not immediately certain if the gatherings Greenberg was working to arrange in July and September of 2018, over the private messages reviewed by ABC News, ultimately took place around those specific dates. Greenberg had arranged similar gatherings at hotels in the Central Florida area and at friends' houses, including Pirozzolo's, with the congressman in attendance, multiple sources who attended the gatherings in the past told ABC News.

Contacted by ABC News, Greenberg's attorney, Fritz Scheller, said, "The only comment I can make is Joel Greenberg has executed a plea agreement with the government and will continue to honor his obligations pursuant to that agreement."

Pirozzolo's attorney, David Haas, declined to comment when reached by ABC News, citing the ongoing investigation.

Last month, a judge granted a request by Greenberg to delay his sentencing for three months, citing the breadth of his continued cooperation with federal prosecutors.

MORE: Feds looking at alleged payments Rep. Matt Gaetz made to women and online solicitation: Sources

"Mr. Greenberg has been cooperating with the Government and has participated in a series of proffers," Scheller wrote in a filing requesting the delay. "Said cooperation, which could impact his ultimate sentence, cannot be completed prior to the time of his sentencing."

Prosecutors did not oppose the delay and a judge approved it a day later.

While Gaetz has appeared to distance himself from Greenberg since news broke regarding the investigation, he previously described Greenberg to acquaintances as his "wingman" and also publicly floated the former tax collector as a potential congressional candidate.

"Joel Greenberg has gone into the Seminole County Tax Collector's Office, he's taken it by storm," Gaetz said in a radio interview on WFLA in June 2017, in which he pushed Greenberg to run for Florida's 7th congressional district.

"He's been a disrupter," Gaetz said of Greenberg. "And if you look at what people want in the country right now, they want that disrupter. And they want someone who is not going to adhere to the dogma that has strangled progress in Washington, D.C., for a generation."

[CoffeeTiger 5,870]

If any of this is true, Gaetz is pretty much a shoe in to become the next Republican nominee for President. 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

23 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

If any of this is true, Gaetz is pretty much a shoe in to become the next Republican nominee for President. 

His visage is very much in keeping with their recent bent for having cartoonishly villainous appearances. The power elite of the post-Bush GOP have, collectively, the most supremely punchable faces of any group of humans in my lifetime. Straight out of central casting, the lot of 'em. 

[creed 1,787]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

If any of this is true, Gaetz is pretty much a shoe in to become the next Republican nominee for President. 

 

Or maybe he should move to NY and run for governor.  Andrew can be his advisor.

See how this works?

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, creed said:

Maybe he should move to NY and run for governor.  Andrew can be his advisor.

See how this works?

That makes absolutely no sense. Allegations against Cuomo came out long after he was already in office and now he's out of office.

Folks heard the "grab her by the *****" business and still elected trump POTUS. 

If Cuomo ever earns the Dem nom for POTUS then maybe you have a cute joke here. 

[DKW 86 7,906]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

That makes absolutely no sense. Allegations against Cuomo came out long after he was already in office and now he's out of office.

Folks heard the "grab her by the *****" business and still elected trump POTUS. 

If Cuomo ever earns the Dem nom for POTUS then maybe you have a cute joke here. 

I truly get your point here, but...the Party folks knew all about this crap for years before it came out, I assure you. The party people knew about Denny Hastert before he made speaker, I guarantee you that. 

And what was said above is true: Gaetz looks like a pervy version of Jimmy Neutron.

[homersapien 12,230]

I'm still laughing at "Rep. Matt Gaetz addresses supporters at a Matt Gaetz Florida Man Freedom Tour"

And Loof is right - what a punchable face!

[aubiefifty 18,231]

i am not big on a grown man giving kids drugs which makes sexual pleasure more intense. plus crossing state lines. hhis buddy is sing like a canary to save his own hide.

[CoffeeTiger 5,870]

13 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

i am not big on a grown man giving kids drugs which makes sexual pleasure more intense. 

Should make this your forum signature. 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Just now, CoffeeTiger said:

Should make this your forum signature. 

you are welcome to it.if i posted that stink the damn flies would never let up in here. know what i mean? lol

[aubiefifty 18,231]

poor ol matt. his buddy just turned over thousands of photo's. fresh from rolling stone...............

 

Joel Greenberg Providing Investigators With ‘Thousands of Photos and Videos’ Probably Doesn’t Bode Well for Matt Gaetz

 

A periodic reminder that the congressman is under investigation for sex trafficking a 17-year-old

Rep. Gaetz (R-Fla.) addresses supporters at a Matt Gaetz Florida Man Freedom Tour event at the Hilton Melbourne Beach.

Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images/Sipa USA/AP Images

Matt Gaetz’s career in Congress, and life as a free man in America, has been in danger since it was revealed in March that the notably coiffed MAGA icon is under federal investigation for sex trafficking a minor. This danger became a little more acute a few months later when Joel Greenberg, Gaetz’s former running buddy who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking the same minor, agreed to cooperate with federal investigators. ABC News reported on Thursday that Greenberg’s cooperation has been … quite extensive.

The information Greenberg has provided to investigators reportedly includes “years of Venmo and Cash App transactions and thousands of photos and videos, as well as access to personal social media accounts.” Much of this potential evidence pertains to Greenberg’s relationship with Gaetz, and could aid investigators looking into the Florida congressman.

In pleading guilty to 6 of the 33 federal charges against him, including sex trafficking a 17-year-old, Greenberg noted that he “introduced the minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts.” Greenberg did not specify whether one of those adult men was Gaetz, although reporting has indicated this could be the case. In April, The Daily Beast obtained a letter in which Greenberg claimed he and Gaetz both paid to have sex with a minor. The Daily Beast also obtained a slew of Venmo transactions between Greenberg and Gaetz and between Greenberg and the 17-year-old in question.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied he had sexual contact with anyone under age, but the fact that Greenberg, who has claimed to the contrary, is funneling this much potential evidence to investigators probably doesn’t bode well for the congressman.

ABC News reviewed some of the information Greenberg is forking over to investigators. It resembles the messaging history between the two previously reported by The Daily Beast and other outlets. For example, Google Voice text messages from 2018 indicate that Greenberg arranged a meeting between Gaetz and a women of legal age whom Greenberg met online. “I have a friend flying in and we are trying to make plans for tonight,” Greenberg wrote to the woman. “What are your plans for later, and how much of an allowance will you be requiring :)” The woman said she usually requires $400 per meet, after which Greenberg showed the woman a photo of Gaetz, indicating he was the “friend,” and asked the woman if she had ever tried the drug molly, also known as MDMA or ecstasy. “We work hard and play hard,” Greenberg wrote.

When reached for comment on the ABC News report, Gaetz’s office provided this statement to Rolling Stone:

“After months of media coverage, not one woman has come forward to accuse Rep. Gaetz of wrongdoing. Not even President Biden can say that. That others might invite people unbeknownst to a U.S. Congressman to functions he may or may not attend is the every day life of a political figure. The story references people the congressman doesn’t know, things he hasn’t done and messages he neither sent nor received. Rep. Gaetz addressed the debunked allegations against him — and their origin in an extortion plot during his Firebrand podcast episode last week. People should download and watch.”

Launching a podcast to attack those who have wronged him — from the Justice Department to Fox News, the network on which he was once a fixture — is the latest in a series of face-saving stunts Gaetz has undertaken since the news of the investigation threw his career into disarray. He’s toured the nation with conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, held rallies in defense of Brittany Spears, and, most recently, gathered fellow Republican trolls, including Greene, for a press conference to advocate for the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. The event was broken up by protesters soon after it began, though.

“Are you a pedophile?” activists yelled repeatedly as Gaetz fled the scene and hopped into an SUV.

[DKW 86 7,906]

14 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

 

 

[Leftfield 3,367]

[CoffeeTiger 5,870]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-strategist-anton-lazzaro-arrested-for-underage-sex-trafficking 

The feds just arrested wealthy Republican strategist and occasional Fox News guest Anton Lazzaro on five counts of underage sex trafficking.

 

The GOP needs to start having education classes on how 'age of consent' laws work for all their members. Getting a little out of hand here. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-strategist-anton-lazzaro-arrested-for-underage-sex-trafficking 

The feds just arrested wealthy Republican strategist and occasional Fox News guest Anton Lazzaro on five counts of underage sex trafficking.

The GOP needs to start having education classes on how 'age of consent' laws work for all their members. Getting a little out of hand here. 

Clearly a leftist conspiracy led by Borat. 

[jj3jordan 2,171]

26 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-strategist-anton-lazzaro-arrested-for-underage-sex-trafficking 

The feds just arrested wealthy Republican strategist and occasional Fox News guest Anton Lazzaro on five counts of underage sex trafficking.

 

The GOP needs to start having education classes on how 'age of consent' laws work for all their members. Getting a little out of hand here. 

You’re right. Maybe Bob Menendez or Hunter Biden could provide some instruction.

[AUDub 11,846]

8 minutes ago, jj3jordan said:

You’re right. Maybe Bob Menendez or Hunter Biden could provide some instruction.

Hey I guess Social somehow hacked someone's account and is back to haunt me from beyond the grave. 

[jj3jordan 2,171]

2 hours ago, AUDub said:

Hey I guess Social somehow hacked someone's account and is back to haunt me from beyond the grave. 

Wait…you are dead?