Report: Matt Gaetz’s Wingman Has Given the Feds “Years of Venmo Transactions” and “Thousands of Photos and Videos”

When we last checked in with Matt Gaetz, things were going less than swimmingly for the Florida congressman. And in the interim, they haven’t improved! Currently under investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly paying women for sex, sleeping with a minor and transporting her across state lines, and possible obstruction of justice, the Republican lawmaker has now been heckled on the streets with shouts of “People think you’re a pedophile!” and closer to home, he’s not getting much more respect. Last month, in a series of posts on TikTok, Gaetz’s future sister-in-law, Roxanne Luckey, told followers her sister’s fiancée is a “literal pedophile,” before saying that the better word would be “ephebophilia,” i.e., a person who is attracted to mid-to-late adolescents. In another video, Luckey claimed that Gaetz pressured an older man to hit on her when she was 19, a move she described as “weird and creepy,” adding that Gaetz went “full lawyer” when she confronted him about the incident at a family gathering. 

But (soon-to-be) familial spats are far from the most worrisome issues Gaetz faces. The most concerning one would be that his former “wingman,” who is cooperating with the feds, has reportedly given prosecutors reams of potential evidence. Per ABC News:

Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, as part of his ongoing cooperation with prosecutors, has 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, sources said. Private messages exclusively reviewed by ABC News potentially shed new light on the process by which Greenberg allegedly met women online who were paid for sex, and introduced them to the Florida congressman and other associates. Greenberg pleaded guilty in May to multiple federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor and introducing her to other “adult men” who also had sex with her when she was underage. Greenberg agreed to provide “substantial assistance” to prosecutors as part of their ongoing investigation.

ABC News has reviewed Google Voice text messages from September 2018 that appear to show Greenberg texting with a woman he met online. In the texts, Greenberg appears to discuss payment options and asks the woman, who was of legal age, if she would take drugs; he then sets up a get-together with himself, Gaetz, the woman, and one of her friends. “I have a friend flying in and we are trying to make plans for tonight. What are your plans for later,” Greenberg wrote to the woman, whose identity ABC News is withholding for privacy purposes. “And how much of an allowance will you be requiring :)” Greenberg added. The woman responded by telling Greenberg she has “a friend who introduced me to the website that I could bring” and said she “usually” requires “$400 per meet.” Greenberg then sent the woman a photo of Gaetz taking a selfie with students at Pea Ridge Elementary from a 2017 visit, and wrote, “My friend,” indicating that Gaetz would be the friend joining him.

An elementary school! Classy!

As Greenberg was discussing payment for the get-together, the woman asked if Gaetz used the same website Greenberg had used to meet her. Greenberg replied, in part, “He knows the deal :),” referring to the Florida congressman. The former tax collector then said he would book a “suite Downtown” for the gathering…. Additional Facebook messages reviewed by ABC News paint a similar picture, showing Greenberg appearing to organize a gathering in July 2018 that included Gaetz and women the former tax collector had allegedly been paying for sex, at the home of Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida hand doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and, according to reports, allegedly accompanied Gaetz on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing.

In one message reviewed by ABC News, Greenberg said a party at Pirrazolo’s house would have “6–7 chicks” and “just 3–4 guys,” adding, “It’s our safe place, all things considered.”

Pirrazolo’s attorney, David Haas, declined ABC News’ request for comment. Greenberg’s attorney said, “The only comment I can make is Joel Greenberg has executed a plea agreement with the government and will continue to honor his obligations pursuant to that agreement.” Asked about the allegations, a spokesperson for Gaetz told ABC News, “After months of media coverage, not one woman has come forward to accuse Rep. Gaetz of wrongdoing. Not even President Biden can say that. That others might invite people unbeknownst to a U.S. Congressman to functions he may or may not attend is the everyday life of a political figure. Your story references people the congressman doesn’t know, things he hasn’t done and messages he neither sent nor received. Rep. Gaetz addressed the debunked allegations against him—and their origin in an extortion plot—during his Firebrand podcast episode last week. People should download and watch.” Gaetz himself has forcefully denied any and all allegations against him.

Though Gaetz has reportedly attempted to distance himself from Greenberg over the last several months, he previously spoke of the guy in glowing terms, describing him as his “wingman” and floating the idea Greenberg should run for Congress. “Joel Greenberg has gone into the Seminole County Tax Collector’s Office, he’s taken it by storm,” Gaetz said in a radio interview in June 2017. “He’s been a disrupter,” Gaetz said of Greenberg. “And if you look at what people want in the country right now, they want that disrupter. And they want someone who is not going to adhere to the dogma that has strangled progress in Washington, D.C., for a generation.”

If you would like to receive the Levin Report in your inbox daily, click here to subscribe.

— Inside the Feverish Mind of Postpresidential Donald Trump
— Joe Manchin Ghosts Workers Whose Jobs His Daughter Helped Outsource
— Fauci Tells Anti-Vaxxers to Sit Down and STFU as COVID Cases Surge
— What If Jeff Bezos’s Big Space Adventure Saves Us All?
— Report: Trump Allegedly Implicated in Company Crimes
— Venture Capital’s Most Contentious Breakup Just Added a Messy New Chapter
— The 2022 Candidate Slate: Send In the Clowns!
— Of Course Trump Has Scammed Millions From His Supporters
— From the Archive: The Star-Crossed, Politicized, Complexified Romance of Jeff Bezos
— Not a subscriber? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now.