Greenberg’s possible collaboration with the Department of Justice could provide investigators with key details, as they work to determine if Gaetz himself violated sexual trafficking or prostitution laws.
Gaetz denied ever paying for sex and last week tried to institute the allegations against him due to political prejudice in the legal system and the media.
A federal prosecutor and Greenberg’s attorney have told a judge that the deal has not been finalized but is expected to be resolved within weeks.
“We believe this case will be a plea,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg.
Greenberg’s attorney, Fritz Scheller, requested a plea date by May 15. If a plea is not reached, they could move to a trial in July.
Scheller spoke to reporters after the trial and did not want to say whether his client would be willing to cooperate as part of the possible plea deal, and would not divulge if Greenberg had already met with prosecutors to describe what he knew about Gaetz .
However, he added that his client is ‘uniquely located’.
“I’m sure Matt Gaetz does not feel very comfortable today,” Scheller said.
Greenberg, the former tax commissioner in Seminole County, Florida, and a friend of Gaetz’s have been sentenced to decades in prison on 33 federal charges ranging from identity theft to sex trafficking with a minor. CNN reported last week that the investigation into Gaetz began in 2020 as part of the broader investigation into Greenberg.
People who know the two men described them as close, with a relationship that is as much about Republican Party politics in the state as it is after hours.
Investigators are considering Gaetz’s association with several Florida associates who may have benefited politically in return for favoring the congressman, including escorts, travel and campaign donations, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Greenberg was arrested in 2020 on charges of allegedly falsifying documents and accounts on social media to portray a political rival as a pedophile and white supremacus.
Prosecutors have since designed three additional charges against the former tax commissioner – one of which just last week – in a manner and at the rate said by legal observers, to increase the pressure on him to cooperate.
Few details about the sex trade with a minor charge levied at Greenberg last year were made public, but in an August indictment, prosecutors said the minor was between the ages of 14 and 17 and accused Greenberg of illegally obtaining a photograph. and driver’s identification number for the person.
Prosecutors also accused Greenberg of illegally gaining access to a motor vehicle database to collect and use the personal information of people, including some with whom Greenberg ‘worked’ in ‘sugar-daddy relationships’.
CNN reported last week that witnesses gave federal investigators information about a nightly discussion that Gaetz and Greenberg had at the tax office, where they were seen on internal cameras reviewing ID cards.
This story has been updated with additional details.