Crime

Gaetz Associate Joel Greenberg Pleads Guilty To Sex Trafficking

Rep. Matt Gaetz was not mentioned in the plea agreement or during the hearing, and the Republican congressman has not been charged with a crime.

Gaetz Associate Joel Greenberg Pleads Guilty To Sex Trafficking
Steve Bridges / AP

Joel Greenberg, a longtime associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz, pleaded guilty to six federal sex trafficking charges Monday. 

He faced nearly three dozen charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, and admitted that he paid at least one underage girl to have sex with him and other men.

According to The Associated Press, Gaetz was not mentioned in the plea agreement or during the court hearing, and the Republican congressman has not been charged with a crime. 

But there's been speculation that Greenberg's cooperation with prosecutors – one term of his plea bargain – could have more political, or even legal, fallout for Gaetz.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.