Another week, another look at the walls closing in on Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz. On Monday, former county tax collector and Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to six federal charges, including child sex trafficking and wire fraud. It’s got to be a pretty nerve-wracking development if your name happens to be Matt Gaetz.
Greenberg was first reported to be changing his plea to guilty late last week, and officially entered it today before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando.
He has also promised full cooperation with federal investigators’ probe into whether Gaetz, too, was involved in child sex trafficking.
In return for his guilty plea and full cooperation, 23 additional charges that were previously brought against Greenberg were dropped. He faces a minimum of 12 years in prison, but CBS reports the judge has authority to reduce his sentence based on his cooperation.
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Again, that’s pretty bad news if your name is Matt Gaetz.
In his plea agreement, Greenberg admits to acting as a “sugar daddy” and paying young women for sex, including a minor. He also admits he “introduced the minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with the minor in the Middle District of Florida,” as per the plea.
While the plea does not mention Gaetz or any other men by name, the Florida representative is believed to be among them.
Outside the hearing, a plane carrying a banner reading “Tick Tock Matt Gaetz” was seen circling, causing the phrase to trend on Twitter:
Our friends @RemoveRon flew this banner around the Orlando Federal Court where Matt Gaetz’s wingman Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to sex charges. Tick Tock Matt Gaetz. pic.twitter.com/RcbooUDnFd
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) May 17, 2021
Here’s the reaction of Fritz Scheller, Joel Greenberg’s attorney, when asked what he thought about an aircraft above the federal courthouse in Orlando that pulled a banner that said, “Tick Tock, Matt Gaetz.” pic.twitter.com/gvUINwgYH9
— Pete Reinwald (@petereinwald) May 17, 2021
Tick Tock Matt Gaetz — and MANY toxic men abusing privilege to harass younger women. #WeSaidEnough to harassment, discrimination, bullying and abuse from conservatives, moderates and so-called progressives (who are actually regressives). You won’t hide behind your power forever!
— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) May 17, 2021
Now that Greenberg's plea deal has been executed, and we see a "Tick Tock Matt Gaetz" banner flying, do you suppose Gaetz will hold a support rally out front of a "Hello, Kitty" store?
— Frankp (@CogitoErgoWtf) May 17, 2021
Gaetz, who has not been charged with any crimes, has strongly denied the allegations, even telling a Republican group over the weekend that he’s “being falsely accused of exchanging money for naughty favors.”
He then strangely went on to compare his situation to earmarks. “Yet Congress has reinstituted a process that legalizes the corrupt act of exchanging money for favors, through earmarks,” Gaetz told the group, “and everybody knows that that’s the corruption.”
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mailliw110
Wouldn’t it be funny if Gaetz, Trump and Rudy all had their criminal trials at the same time!
vikram
xmeet.fun – Great project for single men, who are looking for sex meetings
GayMafiaKingpin
That would be beautiful. *wipes a tear*
Cam
You can always tell when right wingers know they’re guilty of something because they scream that other’s are doing it.
The whole Qanan child sex accusations was a distraction because Republicans seem to have a LOT of sex predators in their party.
fur_hunter
I want to see Gaetz’s A SS being dragged off to prison, ASAP. When it happens, I will be doing the Snoopy Happy Dance. YeeeHaw!!!
Bengali
This could be an amazing year for justice if we see Gaetz, at least one Trump (hopefully Mr Orange Messy Diaper Pants but Douche Jr will do) and Giuliani. Hopeful Rollerboy Cawthorn who has his own reputation as a quasi-predator and several others in the GOP is rolled out of chambers and indicted.
Not giving a pass to Dems who are sexual assaulters either. If they’re guilty then they need to be handled just as aggressively.
Something else that I hope for is that Marjorie Taylor Greene harasses the wrong person – preferably someone who knows how to deliver a spot-on roundhouse kick.
exgoalie
Oh YES PLEASE!!! I’d pay to see video of that!!!
Essie
Geesh!! I guess friendship goes out the window when a crook can lower his jail time by singing like a canary.
Mattster
Nothing proves the phrase “no honor among thieves” more quickly than when codefendants get squeezed by the prosecutor. People looking at serious jail time are usually desperate to make a deal, and criminals generally don’t have much in the way of morals to begin with. Gaetz will probably be indicted this month, it looks as though the prosecutor is being very methodical about building a case which bodes well for his conviction.
BaltoSteve
Especially if you are facing the prospect of entering the general population of any given correctional institution in this country. “Ran a prostitution ring” is on thing, whoring out children, well, your life expectancy just shortened a bit.
Fahd
The local news has picture after picture of Greenberg mugging it up with Gaetz, Roger Stone, etc. I anticipate a protracted slide into disgrace and infamy with Gaetz denying and distracting every step of the way – the orange clown, schooled by Roy Cohn, offers a great role model for that. I am enjoying reading about every slip toward his ultimate demise – keep up the coverage.
rockland2u
even if you dont care about the illegal drugs, underage sex, innaproppriate behavior at work, he is mired so deep in controversy, he is completely unable to legislate, and carry out his duties (assuming he ever could)
miller2900
…. let’s not forget who the “co-conspirators” are…. the morons that vote for these subhuman politicians up and down the local, state, and federal spectrum in the first place. If the average voter wasn’t such a dumb ass to begin with, we might have actually had decent human politicians. Big focus on “might have” considering that a good chunk of voters actually know they are voting in low life to office. Case in point…. TRUMP. One would have to be totally brain dead not to have known a vote for Trump was a vote for the bottom of the barrel of scum. I sincerely thought I would move back to Michigan after living in CA for the last 40-years where I was born in order to help my elderly parents who I’m lucky to still have at my age. However, the general population in the area of Michigan where I grew up as a young kid is saturated with Trump suck ups who are to dam dumb to realize he screws EVERYONE! I’ve worked corporate America my entire life in property development. Always within publicly held corporations that had to answer to shareholders. We knew Trump was bad news back in the 80’s. Anyone reading an issue of Time, People, etc. could and should have figured that out with little effort. Yet the Capital Building of our country was attacked, trashed, and had murderous scum running all through it by what might once have been fairly normal people. “fairly” is about as generous as I can be. The real sickening realization is not that Trump is still screwing people (nothing new there), but those in the GOP that have attached themselves to Trump’s coattails will never be normal humans again. I know there has to be 70-year-old parents of these slimy Republicans that wish they never gave birth to what they still have to call their off spring.
strap2900
Yeah, you see families everyday turning against their Republican family members. It’s great.
strap2900
He’s gonna rollover on Gaetz like a good dog. I can’t wait.
barryaksarben
I hope this pos scum sucking worthless shitstain has the book thrown at him and we NEVER have to see his ugly pig face again. HE has done NOTHING except try to cause trouble which is the very opposite of what a lawmaker is supposed to do
Prax07
Gaetz better start preparing his butthole for prison. Hah.
SFMike
Won’t believe this guy gets punished as Republican scum bags are always given a pass in corrupt American politics.
Mike Hunt
Whatever happened to Gaetz’s “son,” Nestor? He just seems to have disappeared.
JB
Gaetz is a Trumplican. Like all the other Trump worshippers who have been accused of wrongdoing, he’ll get a little slap on the hand and continue with his term of office.
brian6767
Just like they did to Bill Clinton
GaysForTrump
Just like they did to Andrew Cuomo?
JB
Exactly. All wealthy politicians get away with so much more than the average American. It sux.
BaltoSteve
I will believe it when I see Gaetz wearing matching tempered steel wrist warmers.
justsimple
I’m really confused because several months ago I thought everybody was reporting that Gaetz was gay.
And that was the big scandal,
This whole story seems fishy
Jimmy
UH OH MATTY. YOU’RE GOING DOWN!