The indicted ex-tax collector friend of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) paid for a lawyer for the\u00a0underage teenager\u00a0at the heart of sex trafficking charges against him, according to a bombshell WhatsApp chat obtained by Politico.<\/p>\n
Politico reported\u00a0that Joel Greenberg was in a \u201cpanic\u201d just days before the federal indictment on 33 different charges including identity theft, financial crimes and sex trafficking.<\/p>\n
In a chat with a friend who later discussed the messages with Politico, the former Seminole County tax collector referred to the unidentified young woman as \u201cVintage 99,\u201d a name with her birth year that she reportedly used online.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m having to pay for vintage 99 to retain [a] lawyer,\u201d Greenberg wrote in the chat, saying federal agents \u201ccontacted her and are wanting her to talk,\u201d Politico reported. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want to talk to them,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Greenberg has been charged and Gaetz is under investigation for alleged sex trafficking involving women, including \u201cVintage 99,\u201d who was 17 at the time of the targeted activities. She\u2019s now 20. It\u2019s not illegal for Greenberg to pay the lawyer\u2019s fees of a potential witness against him, but it could \u201craise questions,\u201d Politico noted.<\/p>\n
Greenberg discussed his fears in the WhatsApp chat that investigators would trace his payments to women via Venmo, according to Politico, which is apparently what happened.\u00a0Gaetz also paid money\u00a0via Venmo to Greenberg, who allegedly forwarded it to women, The Daily Beast reported. The payments were marked for \u201cschool\u201d and \u201ctuition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenberg pressured Gaetz to use his influence to solicit a pardon from Donald Trump, sources told Politico. Gaetz has said he did not ask Trump to pardon Greenberg.<\/p>\n
Greenberg is reportedly now cooperating with federal authorities and is expected to reach a plea deal.<\/p>\n
A Justice Department probe launched during the Trump administration is currently investigating\u00a0whether Gaetz had sex with the 17-year-old and paid for her and other young women to travel across state lines for sex. Federal investigators are reportedly also looking into whether Gaetz used any federal campaign money to make the alleged payments.<\/p>\n
The FBI is also examining Gaetz\u2019s\u00a0trip to the Bahamas with a group of women\u00a0that a Florida cannabis entrepreneur funded in late 2018 or early 2019, several sources told The New York Times. Greenberg was reportedly along for the ride.<\/p>\n
Gaetz is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.<\/p>\n
The lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n