Mr. Greenberg relished hobnobbing with the well-connected: He spoke at a Trump campaign rally in 2016 and was invited to the White House three years later. [3], Greenberg was once described as a Republican star in Central Florida politics. Greenberg also caused an imposter Twitter account to be set up using the name and photograph of the school employee, without that persons knowledge, consent, or authorization. Another selfie he posted in 2017 is with Milo Yiannopoulos, the far-right activist infamous for a long article in Breitbart whitewashing white supremacists. Gaetz contributed the maximum amount to Greenbergs campaign, and brought him along to a visit to the White House, according to the Times. He was accused of discrimination in a 2018 lawsuit by a Muslim woman he fired, and another employee accused Greenberg of firing him for supporting another Republican in a primary. Greenbergs name was back in the news when The New York Times reported that federal authorities are investigating Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on possible sex trafficking violations involving a 17-year-old girl. As part of that course of conduct, Greenberg caused letters to be sent to the school where the employee worked. In any case, Grenberg was a questionable character witness. The inquiry , The special counsel is also investigating Mr. Trumps. Ben Friedman, the director of community relations for Orlandos Jewish federation, said Greenbergs question was disgraceful and that Greenberg was, basically, a shanda. I dont know anyone in the Jewish community who knows him, he said. Greenberg was initially charged in 2020 with 33 federal counts related to his activities while serving as a Seminole County tax collector, including paying minors he met on a site for sugar daddies for sex and introducing the underage girls to other men. Presnell approved the extension. Mr. Gaetz told Politico that he had briefly lost his wallet but found it before needing the I.D. The investigation, anonymous officials told The New York Times, stemmed from a federal probe of Greenberg, a friend and political ally of Gaetz. In 2016, then 31, Greenberg used his own money to run a successful Republican primary challenge that accused the 28-year incumbent, Ray Valdes, then 78, of being out of touch. Joel Greenberg broke curfew to look for wife in South Florida, police report says. A few months into office, Mr. Greenberg was, according to an employee and others in his orbit, already bored. Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Florida, said he and unidentified others paid a 17-year-old girl for sex and he provided the girl with drugs, according to court papers cited by multiple . The plea agreement documents state that Greenberg paid a minor to have sex with him and other men. [14] Greenberg faces a minimum of 12 years imprisonment and a maximum term of life imprisonment. Just one. Soon after, an anonymous letter was sent to the school where Mr. Beute worked, falsely accusing him of having a sexual relationship with a student. He defeated incumbent Ray Valdes, who had held the office for 30 years. reportedly is investigating Gaetzs alleged sexual relationship with a girl who was 17 years old when the affair took place about two years ago, The investigation, anonymous officials told The New York Times, stemmed from a federal probe of Greenberg, a friend and political ally of Gaetz. Greenberg was jailed for probation violations, one after he was accused of traveling outside of the Florida Middle District without a judges permission, according to News13. Joel Greenberg is a former Florida tax collector and political ally of Rep. Matt Gaetz whose federal indictment has led to reports of an investigation into Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking. [8] He took office in January 2017. This comes as small relief to the Jews of Seminole County, which adjoins Orlando, where until recently Greenberg served as tax collector. Joel Greenberg, who had served as a locally elected tax collector in Central Florida's Seminole County, had to resign his post last year after he was hit with the first of three indictments that . If he were to use his Jewish ethnicity and religion it would only be as a prop for a particular audience he wants to curry favor with., Mark I. Pinsky has covered Southern politics since 1972 and isthe author of A Jew Among the Evangelicals: A Guide for the Perplexed.. On separate occasions, Greenberg used his tax collector badge to stop a woman he said was speeding and to try and persuade a traffic cop not to ticket him for speeding. Heres what that means. Image by Alex Wong/Getty Images. political dirty tricks that has been Stones specialty since the Nixon presidency. Being elected tax collector could have offered Mr. Greenberg a stable, if low-profile, career in government. The indictment says he created false drivers licenses. Friday the 13th with Milo Yiannopoulos, he wrote. Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector and associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), was sentenced to 11 years in prison Thursday for sex trafficking of a minor and five other federal charges, multiple outlets reported, in a case that extended to a reportedly stalled probe of the congressmans alleged interactions with a teenage girlan allegation Gaetz denied. New body camera video released in Joel Greenberg case, Joel Greenberg hires high-profile attorney, Joel Greenberg hires high-profile attorney Subscribe to WESH on YouTube now for more: bit.ly/1dqr14j Get more Orlando news: wesh.com Like us: facebook.com/wesh2news Follow us: twitter.com/wesh Instagram: instagram.com/wesh2/, Video: Seminole tax collector receives speeding ticket in Lake Mary, Wife believes Joel Greenberg tracked her to Jupiter using Snapchat, arrest report says, Wife believes Joel Greenberg tracked her to Jupiter using Snapchat, arrest report says Subscribe to WESH on YouTube now for more: bit.ly/1dqr14j Get more Orlando news: wesh.com Like us: facebook.com/wesh2news Follow us: twitter.com/wesh Instagram: instagram.com/wesh2/, Wife Shoots D.C. Police Detective Husband After Sharing Wedding Video, Police Say. in inviting a Holocaust denier to attend Trumps State of the Union address. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 15:18, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Production of a false identification document, "Seminole, Orange tax collectors make changes to prevent ID theft in the wake of Joel Greenberg's arrest", "Gaetz associate pleads guilty to sex trafficking charges", "Joel Greenberg, Friend and Associate of Matt Gaetz, Expected to Plead Guilty", "READ: Plea agreement from former Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg", "Joel Greenberg cooperating with feds since last year in Matt Gaetz sex trafficking probe: report", "Judge Approves Plea Deal, Sets Sentencing Date for Matt Gaetz Associate in Child Sex Trafficking Case", "Joel Greenberg Timeline: From rising Republican star to federal charges", "Seminole Tax Collector Joel Greenberg resigns day after indictment", "Former Seminole County tax collector accused of stealing $400,000 in taxpayer money", "Ex-GOP official Joel Greenberg flaunted ties to Matt Gaetz. Orlando Weekly reported that Gaetz was a political donor of Greenberg, once giving him the maximum possible. [7] He eventually formed an advertising agency, DG3 Media Group, which specialized in outdoor, radio, and digital ads. Later, there was a monarch caterpillar that I foolishly . His Facebook page features an undated photo of himself at the Western Wall. Greenbergs top priority is to serve Seminole County taxpayers and customers. But then, Greenberg knows the risks of keeping controversial company. For a time, Greenberg appeared to be a rising political star, thanks in part to his relationship with Gaetz, who dubbed him a future congressman, and dirty trickster Roger Stone. Asking for a friend.. The Justice Department is said to be investigating whether Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida had sex with a 17-year-old. Intensifying investigations. He resigned from his elective office in June 2020, a day after being indicted and arrested by federal agents on a myriad of corruption and some other creepy charges. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Greenbergs mother-in-law emphatically told police he was unwelcome. Seminole is a suburban county of about half a million people northeast of Orlando. Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County Tax Collector at the center of a sprawling criminal probe into everything from stalking to wire fraud to sex trafficking, used taxpayer money to pay. [15] On February 28, 2021, Greenberg violated his bond conditions by traveling during his curfew hours, reportedly to look for his wife. He was 31 and had recently married Abby Weldgen, a real-estate agent. He surrendered after hours of negotiation. [29], Greenberg's father is Jewish. That same year, the Republican Jewish Coalition called on Gaetz to acknowledge. And in 2019, at the White House, it was with Chris Dorworth, a former Florida state representative. Abby Greenberg, who is a real estate agent, would receive a commission from the sale from the home that is necessary to support the couples two children since Joel Greenberg is not paying any child support or alimony, according to the court filing. Recently, prosecutors under the current district attorney. News reports alleged financial mismanagement. Im Jewish, which is probably one of the most hated groups. Ben Friedman, the director of community relations for Orlandos Jewish federation, said Greenbergs question was disgraceful and that Greenberg was, basically, a shanda. Audits show that Greenberg used public funds to pay for $384,000 in body armor, unspecified weapons, ammunition, as well as a drone with thermal imaging capabilities, News13, a local broadcaster, . On separate occasions, Greenberg used his tax collector badge to stop a woman he said was speeding and to try and persuade a traffic cop not to ticket him for speeding. In August 2018, he shared a social media post that said: Very simple questionName just ONE society in the developed world that has benefited in ANY WAY from the introduction of more Muslims. The neighbor said the woman was calling a friend. Scott Maxwell, a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, said on Twitter after The Times story broke that Greenberg has kept the paper busy, posting a long list of headlines related to his escapades alleged and otherwise. Greenberg pleaded guilty in May last year to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, stalking, identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy to bribe a public official, after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to cooperate in other investigations. Greenberg is the son of Andrew Greenberg, who in the 1980s founded an empire, Greenberg Dental, which now has over 90 practices across Florida. Please email us at [emailprotected], subject line republish, with any questions or to let us know what stories youre picking up. Since June, the list of indictments against Joel Greenberg has just gotten longer and longer. In the last few days, Greenberg has entered the national spotlight in connection with an investigation of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl reported against U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a prominent backer of President Donald Trump. At some point after Mr. Greenberg returned home, he burned her clothes, according to a person familiar with the episode. In 2018, he posed with Gaetz and a Florida GOP political operative at the annual AIPAC conference. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Gaetz. for a long article in Breitbart whitewashing white supremacists. Most damning, in the third indictment, filed in August of 2020, was the charge that Greenberg had engaged in sex trafficking involving a minor between 14 and 17. [22][23] By early October, a lawyer for Greenberg had asked for another delay, this time to March 2022. Some critics of indicted former tax collector Joel Micah Greenberg and there are many are confused about whether or not he is Jewish. Records and interviews detailed a litany of accusations: Mr. Greenberg strutted into work with a pistol on his hip in a state that does not allow guns to be openly carried. Friday the 13th with Milo Yiannopoulos, he wrote. Greenberg caused postings to be made using that account that falsely represented that the school employee was a segregationist and in favor of white supremacy.. According to the Times, Greenberg was a political ally of Gaetz. Greenberg's wife told. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. [11] He also bought memorabilia and other items. My understanding is that he had one Jewish parent, but that he grew up Christian. And Milo. The Orlando Sentinel accused him of setting up a private company in his public office. Greenbergs actions are an embarrassment to the office he holds, and his attitude reflects poorly on the people who elected him and pay his $150,000 per year salary, the Jewish leader said. Hes exactly what we need in Florida to energize the MAGA movement. He retweeted another Gaetz tweet that read, The Iraq War was a tragic failure.. Among an array of charges, Greenberg has been indicted for stalking a political rival, sex trafficking of a child, illegally obtaining information from Florida state databases and identity theft. He solicited help to hack critics on the county commission. Gaetz is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump. Controversial company of indicted former tax collector could have offered Mr. Greenberg returned home he! 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