In May 2018, on a day after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) Sent $ 900 to his co-worker, former tax collector Joel Greenberg, via Venmo, Greenberg used the app to send three young women payments amounting to $ 900. The Daily Beast reports.
Gaetz paid Greenberg over two transactions. The first wrote ‘Test’ in the memo field, and the second wrote ‘hit ____’, with the blank nickname for one of the recipients. (Because the young woman had just turned 18 at the time of the transaction, The Daily Beast do not call her.) In the Venmo payments he made to the young women, Greenberg wrote that the money was for ‘Teaching’, ‘School’ and ‘School’.
Last week, The New York Times reported that Gaetz, 38, was the subject of an investigation by the Justice Department into whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl and paid to travel with him out of the state. This investigation allegedly stemmed from an investigation into Greenberg, who is charged with sex trafficking with minors, bribery and persecution. The court documents state that Greenberg ‘was engaged in’ sugar daddy ‘relationships, and the Times reported investigators believe Gaetz paid for sex with several women he met through Greenberg.
Gaetz’s list of Venmo deals was made public this week, The Daily Beast reports, and someone sent the partial Venmo records to Greenberg. The records show that both men at Venmo were connected to the young woman The Daily Beast do not mention, as well as a woman who paid Greenberg with taxpayer funds with a credit card issued by the government, The Daily Beast reports.
Greenberg’s attorney and prosecutors said during a trial on Thursday that it was likely that Greenberg would enter into a plea deal, an indication that he would likely cooperate with prosecutors. After the trial, Greenberg’s lawyer told reporters: “I’m sure Matt Gaetz does not feel very comfortable today.” Gaetz confirmed that the investigation was taking place, but denied that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl or paid for sex. He is not charged with any crimes. Read more at The Daily Beast.
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