"Greenberg reached a plea deal with investigators in May 2021 in which he agreed to provide "substantial assistance" to prosecutors as part of their ongoing investigation into Gaetz and others, according to sources familiar with the arrangement. The former tax collector provided investigators with years of Venmo and Cash App transactions and thousands of photos and videos, as well as access to personal social media accounts.
He was facing decades in prison before reaching the deal, which led to probes of two dozen individuals, including eight people being investigated for sex crimes, seven for public cooperation, and 10 for election fraud, according to Greenberg's attorney, Fritz Scheller. Four individuals have been indicted in part due to Greenberg's cooperation, and Scheller said two additional new indictments related to crimes stemming from fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans were expected in the coming months.
Judge Persnell, during sentencing Thursday, called Greenberg's degree of cooperation "more than I've seen in 22 years." But the court also came down hard on Greenberg by handing down a sentence on the highest end of the sentencing guidelines.
"In 22 years I've never experienced a case like this," the judge said regarding the breadth of Greenberg's crimes. "I have never seen a defendant who has committed so many different types of crimes in such a short period."
Greenberg, in a brief address to the court, apologized to the former minor at the center of the sex trafficking charge, and to school teacher Brian Beute, whom Greenberg had stalked after Beute announced he'd run against him for tax collector. Greenberg also apologized to his family and to the taxpayers of Seminole County.
"Nothing I say today will justify my actions," Greenberg said. "I know I deserve punishment."
Ahead of Thursday's sentencing, Greenberg's attorney issued a veiled criticism of the Justice Department's inaction against other individuals whom his client has implicated as part of his cooperation.
"If the Government is so concerned with general deterrence, then why hasn't it prosecuted the other individuals, including public figures, who were also involved in Greenberg's offenses?" Schiller wrote in a memo filed ahead of his client's sentencing. "Perhaps the DOJ are master strategists far beyond the capabilities of the undersigned. Or perhaps the DOJ is like Nero fiddling away"
Caption this Meme
