Gaetz friend Joel Greenberg apparently confessed in writing that both men had sex with 'underage' girl


Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are going on tour in May to "attack Democrats and Republicans they deem insufficiently loyal to former President Donald Trump," Politico reports. "The idea is to send a message from the two controversial Republicans: They're not canceled, they're not going to be quiet, and the infamy their critics attribute to them is translatable as fame and power in the conservative movement."
Meanwhile, the hits keep coming in the FBI's investigation into Gaetz's alleged violations of federal sex trafficking laws. The progenitor of the investigation, former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, confessed in writing that both he and Gaetz paid for sex with women and had sex with a 17-year-old girl, The Daily Beast reported Thursday night, citing multiple versions of a confession note and screenshots of encrypted text messages with Trump ally Roger Stone.
Greenberg, arrested in August and subsequently charged with 33 counts of criminal violations, contacted Stone in December to see if he could obtain a pardon from Trump, The Daily Beast reports. Stone finally informed Greenberg that the effort had failed, in part because Gaetz "told me not to help you which I tried to do anyway."
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.
"On more than one occasion," the 17-year-old girl at the center of the case "was involved in sexual activities with several of the other girls, the congressman from Florida's 1st Congressional District, and myself," Greenberg reportedly acknowledged in a letter Stone requested as part of the pardon effort. "From time to time, gas money or gifts, rent, or partial tuition payments were made to several of these girls, including the individual who was not yet 18," on behalf of Gaetz.
Greenberg wrote that he and Gaetz believed the girl was 19 when they first had sex with her, and when they found out she was underage, "there was no further contact with this individual until after her 18th birthday."
Greenberg texted Stone on Dec. 21 that the feds were pressuring him to flip on Gaetz, he had fired his lawyers for backing the idea, and those lawyers know Gaetz "paid me to pay the girls and that he and I both had sex with the girl who was underage," The Daily Beast reports. Gaetz asserted through a PR firm that he "has never paid for sex nor has he had sex with a 17 year old as an adult." Read more at The Daily Beast.
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.
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in voting
Cartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugs
Talking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Sudoku medium: August 24, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'