A bribery trial has turned up explosive allegations against disgraced Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, an associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
Attorneys for former Greenberg consultant Michael Shirley claimed the U.S. Secret Service found a thumb drive in Greenberg's car containing 80 images of child exploitation material that the former Seminole County tax collector told federal investigators that he intended to use to frame an attorney at the tax collector’s office, reported WKMG-TV's Mike DeForest.
Shirley has been accused of paying bribes and taking kickbacks from Greenberg in exchange for favorable treatment from his office. The former consultant's attorneys told jurors during opening statements that Greenberg decided against using the obscene content to frame the attorney, saying "it's cruel," but later changed his story and blamed the downloads on a tax office employee.
“Joel Greenberg might be one of the most evil people you’ll ever meet,” said defense attorney Ashley Parker.
U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell, who previously said Greenberg was “not a pedophile” while sentencing him to 11 years on other charges, covered his face as the new allegations were made, DeForest noted.
Defense attorneys plan to play recorded calls Greenberg made from jail to his friend Joseph Ellicott, who will testify against Shirley at the trial, where the two men laugh about Gaetz getting pulled into their child trafficking investigation.
Gaetz was never charged and denies any involvement in the scheme, but Shirley's attorney alleges that Ellicott had sex with the same 17-year-old girl that landed Greenberg in prison for sex trafficking.
Defense attorneys claim that prosecutors agreed not to charge Ellicott, who plans to plead the Fifth Amendment if asked about the sex crime allegations, in exchange for his cooperation.
They cast doubt on the credibility of Greenberg, who is not expected to testify, and Ellicott, who has admitted to being a "middle man" in the bribery conspiracy.
