Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg talks to the Orlando Sentinel during an interview at his office in Lake Mary, Fla. Greenberg has been charged with trafficking a minor, stalking a political opponent, producing fake IDs, identity theft, embezzlement and bribery.
Joe Burbank | Orlando Sentinel | AP
Joel Greenberg, a friend of Rep. Matt Gaetz, has agreed to plead guilty in a criminal case connected to the federal sex-trafficking investigation of the Republican lawmaker and Trump ally, court records show.
Greenberg is scheduled to appear Monday morning in federal court in Orlando, Florida, for a change of plea hearing, the records state.
Greenberg, a county tax collector in Florida, faces charges including sex trafficking of a minor, stalking, wire fraud and identity theft. He pleaded not guilty to those charges, but his lawyer and prosecutors told a judge last month that Greenberg was expected to strike a plea deal.
Gaetz, who represents Florida‘s First Congressional District in the panhandle, has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
Gaetz is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, who was in office when the Justice Department opened its investigation of the GOP lawmaker.
Last month, Gaetz hired criminal defense lawyer Marc Mukasey to represent him in the investigation. Mukasey also represents the Trump Organization in a criminal probe being conducted by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
