Justice Department reportedly added 2 top prosecutors to the Matt Gaetz sex trafficking case


After weeks of brutal headlines in the spring about a Justice Department sex trafficking investigation, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has been keeping a pretty low profile recently, with fewer campaign events and zero appearances on Fox News — and his fundraising has withered with the faded spotlight, The Daily Beast reported Thursday. In the most recent quarter, from July through September, Gaetz reported raising just under $500,000 and spending $613,000. In the previous two quarters, Gaetz raised $1.8 million and $1.3 million respectively.
But while news coverage of the investigation has waned, the investigation has apparently been humming along. Gaetz's former "wingman," Joel Greenberg, got a judge on Monday to delay his sentencing on sex trafficking and other charges to March, from November, because prosecutors said he is continuing to provide valuable assistance in their broader investigation. Greenberg pleaded guilty in May to sex-trafficking the same 17-year-old girl he says he saw Gaetz have sex with, among other charges.
The Justice Department has also added two top prosecutors to the Gaetz investigation, The New York Times and ABC News reported Thursday, each citing two sources familiar with the matter. "The prosecutors — one a public corruption investigator with an expertise in child exploitation crimes, and the other a top leader of the public corruption unit — have been working on the Florida-based investigation for at least three months," the Times reports. "It is not unusual for prosecutors from the Justice Department in Washington to be added to local teams of federal investigators in high-profile cases that require a deep and specific expertise like sex crimes."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A Gaetz spokesman told ABC News that "Gaetz is innocent," and "no number of political operative prosecutors at a politically weaponized DOJ will change this." The investigation started last August, at the tail end of the Trump administration.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Wonder drug': the potential health benefits of creatine
The Explainer Popular fitness supplement shows promise in easing symptoms of everything from depression to menopause and could even help prevent Alzheimer's
-
What's next for Elon Musk?
Today's Big Question The world's richest man has become 'disillusioned' with politics – but returning to his tech empire presents its own challenges
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 – 30 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Germany lifts Kyiv missile limits as Trump, Putin spar
speed read Russia's biggest drone and missile attacks of the war prompted Trump to post that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders