Federal prosecutors have closed a long-running sex-trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and have decided not to press charges against him, attorneys for the congressman said.
that career prosecutors had recommended against charging Gaetz, telling Justice Department superiors that a conviction was unlikely in part because of credibility questions with the two central witnesses, according to people familiar with the matter.The sex-trafficking investigation of Matt Gaetz, explained
The investigation into Gaetz began in late 2020 and focused on his alleged involvement several years earlier with a girl who at that time was 17. Investigators examined his dealings with the alleged victim and set out to determine if Gaetz paid for sex in violation of federal sex-trafficking laws, people familiar with the matter have said. Earlier this year, a federal grand jury in Orlando heard testimony from associates of Gaetz’s, including an ex-girlfriend.
The ex-girlfriend who testified to the grand jury was among several women on a trip Gaetz allegedly took to the Bahamas in 2018 that has been of particular interest to investigators. The 17-year-old at issue in the investigation was also on that trip, though by that time she was already 18 or older, people familiar with the matter have said. She was a central witness in the investigation.
The other is a former friend of Gaetz’s, Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector for Seminole County, Fla. Greenbergto sex trafficking of a minor and a host of other crimes as part of a cooperation deal with authorities. Greenberg was first charged in 2020 with fabricating allegations and evidence to smear a political opponent, but prosecutors continued to investigate and added charges to his case. He ultimately agreed to plead guilty to six criminal charges, including sex trafficking of a child, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.
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