REPRESENTATIVE Matt Gaetz's pal Joel Greenberg has been providing investigators with information about the congressman's activities since last year, according to a report.
Republican Gaetz of Florida is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice over alleged sexual misconduct and claims he broke sex-trafficking laws.
Gaetz, who has vehemently denied the accusations, is also being probed by the House Ethics Committee to further investigate the claims against him.
On Tuesday, The New York Times, citing two people briefed on the matter, reported that Greenberg, a former local official in Florida, had been speaking to investigators about Gaetz's actions.
According to the report, Greenberg, a onetime county tax collector, said that Gaetz had encounters with women who were then given cash or gifts in exchange for sex.
The Justice Department is investigating whether Gaetz and Greenberg were involved in recruiting multiple women online for sex.
ONGOING INVESTIGATION
People familiar with the inquiry have also said the Justice Department is investigating whether the men had sex with a 17-year-old in violation of sex trafficking laws.
Greenberg reportedly started cooperating with officials once he realized the government had large deals of evidence on him.
According to reports, Greenberg is said to have met the women through websites that help individuals go on dates in exchange for gifts.
Greenberg is said to have met several times with investigators, who have been looking to establish how trustworthy and credible he is as a witness.
The former tax collector was first charged last June and is facing 33 counts, including stalking a political rival, wire fraud, conspiracy to bribe a public official, defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program and identity theft.
He is also accused of using a state database he was tasked with running to create fake IDs for women he was allegedly paying for sex.
According to previous reports, the investigation into Gaetz's alleged sex trafficking of a minor came from investigations into Greenberg's behavior.
In two late-night Venmo transactions in May 2018, Gaetz reportedly sent Greenberg $900.
The next morning, over the course of eight minutes, Greenberg reportedly paid three young women varying sums of money, named on Venmo as being for "Tuition,” “School,” and “School.”
Gaetz, a strong supporter of former president Donald Trump, has claimed through a spokesperson that he "has never paid for sex."
Greenberg, Gaetz claims, has been "trying to ensnare innocent people in his trouble."
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