Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) could be charged as early as next month in a federal sex trafficking probe, according to sources.
The criminal probe has ramped up in recent weeks as investigators have started interviewing more women introduced to the Florida Republican through his friend Joel Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking, stalking, identity theft, wire fraud and conspiracy to bribe a public official, reported ABC News.
Greenberg is prepared to hand over evidence and testimony against Gaetz and others, sources told the network, and prosecutors could decide as soon as July whether to charge the congressman.
The former Seminole County tax collector admitted to sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl, who later went on to work in pornography, and introduced her to other “adult men,” and a new round of target letters and subpoenas were sent out last month.
Investigators have recently turned their focus to contracts worth $1.5 million in taxpayer funds that Greenberg gave out through his former elected office, which an independent audit last year found to be unnecessary and wasteful.