A federal court in Orlando on Thursday scheduled a "change of plea hearing" for Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector of Florida's Seminole County and a close associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), suggesting Greenberg will plead guilty Monday under a deal with federal prosecutors. Greenberg has reportedly been cooperating with federal prosecutors investigating Gaetz for potential sex trafficking and having sex with a minor, and "the likely plea by Greenberg, whom Gaetz once called his 'wingman,' is a new development that signals Gaetz may be facing increasing legal peril," Politico reports.
Greenberg faces his own 33-count indictment on a whole host of serious charges that carry long prison terms, and it isn't clear which charges he will plead guilty to on Monday or what leniency, if any, he will get for providing evidence against Gaetz. Gaetz has repeatedly denied having sex with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz spokesman Harlan Hill told The Washington Post on Thursday that Greenberg is being charged with accusing a political rival of sex with a minor, adding: "That man was apparently innocent. So is Congressman Gaetz."
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