Top Florida law enforcement officials have responded to allegations involving former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the firebrand Republican who was a thorn in the side of the DC ‘uniparty’ establishment and who was initially named by President-elect Donald Trump to become the U.S. attorney general.
The allegations come in the form of a shocking House Ethics Committee report that members voted in secret earlier this month to release over House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) objections.
Allegations of Gaetz’s involvement in a wide array of schemes and crimes—including accusations of illegal drug use, bribery, and the alleged sexual trafficking of a 17-year-old girl—severely undermined his nomination. These controversies were compounded by the strained relationships he had with many of his fellow House Republicans.
His former associate, Joel Greenberg, the ex-Seminole County Tax Collector, is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to paying a 17-year-old girl for sex and providing her with illegal drugs. In his plea agreement, Greenberg admitted to introducing the minor to other adult men who engaged in commercial sex acts, though no specific names of those men were mentioned.
The Justice Department, under President Joe Biden, investigated the allegations and found no evidence to charge Gaetz.
Gaetz has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and vowed to retaliate by seeking the release of damaging information about his former colleagues. However, he was ultimately unable to take any legal action to prevent the report’s release, which the committee published on Monday morning.
Following the release of the report, many political observers have speculated whether Gaetz could face state charges, particularly in light of testimony alleging that he had sex with a then-17-year-old girl during a party at lobbyist Chris Dorworth’s home in Seminole County, Florida.
Under Florida law, individuals aged 24 or older are strictly prohibited from engaging in sexual activity with 16- or 17-year-olds. Notably, the law does not allow a defense based on the individual’s lack of knowledge about the minor’s age or if the minor misrepresented their age, Mediaite reported.
Mike DeForest, an investigative reporter with WKMG, a CBS affiliate in Orlando, tweeted that he had emailed Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office to ask “if she thinks a state investigation into Matt Gaetz is warranted for any crimes alleged by the House Ethics Committee that are not barred by a statute of limitations.” He said that he got an automated reply because her office was out for the holidays.
Not long after, however, DeForest did receive a reply from Statewide ProsecutorNick Cox, which said: “Allegations of violations of state criminal law would be investigated by law enforcement in the appropriate jurisdiction, such as a local police department, sheriff’s office or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. To determine if the agencies in the relevant jurisdictions have received information from the House Ethics Committee or have initiated investigations, you would need to contact those law enforcement agencies directly. Single-circuit crimes would be prosecuted by the state attorney where the crime occurred. ”
According to the report, the alleged criminal activity occurred in Seminole County, and DeForest also obtained a statement from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, which said that the investigation was turned over to federal authorities after Greenberg’s fingerprints were found on an envelope used to mail a letter to the employer of his political primary opponent containing false accusations.
“At that point, federal law enforcement requested to take over the investigation because the case involved more serious federal charges. As a result, the SCSO ceased its involvement, and federal agencies took over the continued and expanded investigation as directed out of Washington, D.C.,” the SCSO statement said.
“By the time federal investigators had a verbal conversation with the SCSO regarding their findings and decision not to pursue federal charges, the state’s statute of limitations had long expired. Since the statute of limitations for these alleged crimes has expired and no victim or sworn affidavit has been provided, we are unable to conduct an independent investigation, regardless of the findings from the House of Representatives Committee on Ethics,” the statement added.
