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Tag: sex trafficking
Gaetz

Gaetz: Abolish National Security Agencies For Probing My Alleged Crimes

In a rant on day two of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) assailed Democratic lawmakers and threatened to abolish federal law enforcement agencies, including the Justice Department (DOJ), which probed him for alleged sex trafficking.

On the stage, Gaetz took a victory lap over the DOJ’s decision not to charge him in its long-running sex trafficking investigation, at the peak of which Gaetz’s close friend, Joel Greenberg, pleaded guilty to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, and was sentenced to 11 years behind bars.

The investigation started in late 2020 and focused on allegations that Gaetz was sexually involved with a 17-year-old girl. Career prosecutors later recommended that the DOJ not charge Gaetz because of credibility concerns about Greenberg and another central witness, the Washington Post reported in September. However, Gaetz, who had since denied wrongdoing, called the DOJ’s decision a “vindication.”

“If you don’t mind me saying so, I think vindication looks good on me,” Gaetz said with glee, drawing cheers from the CPAC attendees. Then, the congressman pivoted to a tirade against his Democratic colleagues, whom he accused of penning a “smear piece” against a “whistleblower” deposed by the House GOP to prove alleged government bias against Republicans.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Friday released a 300-page-plus report saying, in part, that three witnesses deposed by the GOP in its investigation into the alleged politicization of the FBI weren’t credible. The trio, Democrats said, were aggrieved ex-FBI officials who spread right-wing conspiracy theories, including about Covid-19 vaccines and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, and had received monetary support from an ally to former President Donald Trump.

“The three individuals we have met are not, in fact, ‘whistleblowers.’ These individuals, who put forward a wide range of conspiracy theories, did not present actual evidence of any wrongdoing at the Department of Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the committee Democrats wrote, per The Hill.

“Each endorses an alarming series of conspiracy theories related to the January 6 Capitol attack, the COVID vaccine, and the validity of the 2020 election. One has called repeatedly for the dismantling of the FBI. Another suggested that it would be better for Americans to die than to have any kind of domestic intelligence program,” stated the report.

That report, Gaetz told the far-right CPAC attendees, was tantamount to the obstruction of a congressional investigation, a charge for which Democrats must be removed from House GOP’s subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government.

“These are the [Republican reps.] Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz days,” Gaetz said to a roaring round of applause. “And If the Democrats are going to obstruct our investigation, then I am calling to remove the Democrats from our investigation.”

He added, “They shouldn’t be allowed to sit in the depositions and hear the evidence if they are going to use that to try to get in the way of thorough, rigorous oversight,” he added.


Acknowledging that such a move would destabilize the balance of power in the U.S. Congress as the minority party would have no say in legislation, Gaetz continued, “I think that means a fundamental reshaping of this government. A reshaping of this town.”

Gaetz also blasted the Biden Administration for the “weaponization of this government” and claimed, without evidence, that it used its federal law enforcement agencies to spy on Americans, for which he suggested the agencies be abolished.

"Seems like every time I turn around, they engage in surveillance or list building or monitoring," he said. "I don’t care if it takes every second of our time and every ounce of our energy. We either get this government back on our side, or we defund and get rid of, abolish the FBI, the CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them if they do not come to heel.”

Tucker Carlson Haunted By Defense Of Alleged Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate

Tucker Carlson Haunted By Defense Of Alleged Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate

Fox News' Tucker Carlson is facing scrutiny again amid the resurfacing of footage showing him defending kickboxer and YouTuber Andrew Tate, who was recently arrested on suspicion of organized crime, sex trafficking, and rape.

According to Mediaite, prosecutors indicated that Tate and his brother Tristan, in addition to two other suspects, “appear to have created an organized crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialized websites for a cost.”

A recent report from Reuters also noted that prosecutors said six women have indicated that they were sexually exploited by Tate and the other suspects.

Despite the damning reports, Carlson has publicly defended the kickboxer, and now footage of his remarks is circulating again. “Lots of mean things are being written about Andrew Tate but we have learned over time to trust our own experience,” the Fox host said. “Don’t believe what you hear, go straight to the source.”

During the segment, Carlson claimed he was “skeptical” of the allegations surrounding Tate, as he claimed the charges were similar to those made against Julian Assange.

“Why don’t they want you to hear from Andrew Tate?” Carlson said. “Do they really think that he’s a worse influence on the youth than, say, Cardi B? Tell us how.”

“They’re telling us he’s a criminal,” Carlson added. “Okay. Has he been charged? Who are the victims? What are their names?”

Carlson's remarks follow earlier highlights about Tate, when he explained how he became "rich."

“I’ve had over 75 girls work for me, and my business model is different than 99 percent of webcam studio owners,” he wrote. “Over 50 percent of my employees were actually my girlfriend at the time and, of all my girlfriends, NONE were in the adult entertainment industry before they met me.”

He also said, “I learned the most time-efficient way to meet girls, get them through the dating process, get them to bed, test if they’re a good girl or not, and begin the process of them falling deeper and deeper into love."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Federal Prosecutor Calls Gaetz Crony ‘A Prolific Criminal' Who 'Was Not Alone

Federal Prosecutor Calls Gaetz Crony ‘A Prolific Criminal' Who 'Was Not Alone

Reprinted with permission from DailyKos

Matt Gaetz may not be talking, but his partner in crime certainly is. Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax commissioner, has been spilling the beans to the Justice Department (DOJ) following a guilty plea he took earlier this year.

During a brief hearing on Monday in Orlando, Florida, Greenberg was given a second delay in his sentencing after Roger Handberg, an assistant U.S. attorney, told the judge that "the evidence takes us places, and, frankly, it takes us places we did not anticipate."

In May Greenberg, who faced dozens of federal charges, pled guilty to six, including knowingly soliciting and paying for sex with a minor. Part of his plea deal requires him to give "substantial assistance" to investigators—which we're sure is making his sidekick Gaetz quake in his boots.

Greenberg was scheduled to be sentenced on November 18 for his crimes, but prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell to give them until March, in order to continue following up on Greenberg's information to investigators.

"Mr. Greenberg was a prolific criminal," Handberg said in open court, according to Politico.

"Mr. Greenberg was not alone. This is an unusual situation in the number of different investigations and lines of investigation we are pursuing," Handberg said, explaining that the extension was necessary "because of the need to follow up on some of these leads."Gaetz's involvement wasn't mentioned in court Monday, but investigators are exploring a 2017 case in which he allegedly paid to have sex with a 17-year-old girl, Greenberg introduced him to. Gaetz has not yet been charged with any crimes and has denied having sex with any minors. He is, however, under investigation for obstruction of justice for phoning a witness during the ongoing probe into a sex crimes case, a law enforcement source confirmed to NBC News.

Politico reports that prosecutors have been looking at a trip to the Bahamas Gaetz took in 2018 to see if the congressman, along with Halsey Beshears, then a state legislator, and Jason Pirozzolo, a hand surgeon and GOP fundraiser for Gov. Ron DeSantis, violated the Mann Act, which outlaws people from crossing state lines to engage in prostitution. Also on the trip was the victim of sex trafficking, who may have been under 18 at the time. Smarmy as this all is, there's another very Jeffery Epstein-like tangle: another buddy of Greenberg's, Joe Ellicott, is being investigated for sex-trafficking a 17-year-old in 2017.

Greenberg faces a mandatory minimum of 12 years in prison, but could be sentenced longer—all depends on how hard he'll turn against his supposed allies. He will also be required to pay at least $655,000 in restitution to his victims, including Seminole County taxpayers. "[Greenberg] is on a path of rehabilitation, and to a lesser extent, redemption," said Greenberg's defense attorney Fritz Scheller

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Rep. Matt Gaetz

Gaetz Falsely Claims He Is ‘Exonerated’ In Trafficking Case

Reprinted with permission from American Independent

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) seized on right-wing media reports on Wednesday to falsely suggest that he has been exonerated in a federal investigation into whether he engaged in sex trafficking of a minor. There is no indication that prosecutors have cleared him of anything.

Gaetz retweeted a One America News report titled "Rep. Matt Gaetz Exonerated, Fla. Developer Charged With Extortion." That story claimed, without any evidence, "Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has been exonerated and the Department of Justice's sex trafficking investigation has been shut down as the man who made the false allegations is now behind bars."

Gaetz also tweeted a Newsmax story about the indictment of a man in an alleged scheme to extort him with the comment "EXONERATED: Alford Indicted for Extortion Plot Against Matt Gaetz. 'It certainly shows that these claims about me were never true. They were used to try to bleed my family out of tens of millions of dollars.'"

But even the friendly Newsmax report he shared contradicts this claim: "The indictment does not clear Congressman Matt Gaetz, but it most certainly adds to his credibility. He told us there was an extortion scheme at play."

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida announced Tuesday that it has indicted Stephen Alford in a "scheme to defraud a victim out of $25 million" based on a dishonest claim that he "could deliver a Presidential Pardon for a family member of the victim."

The Justice Department did not respond to an inquiry for this story. But sources told the Washington Post that the referenced victim was Gaetz's father, former Florida state Sen. Don Gaetz, and that the pardon would have been for his son.

The Post reported that Alford and others involved in the alleged extortion scheme were unconnected to the ongoing sex-crimes investigation into Matt Gaetz; they merely knew about it before it was reported publicly.

On March 30, the New York Times first reported that Gaetz was facing a federal investigation into whether he had engaged in a sexual relationship with an underage girl and paid for her travel in a possible violation of sex trafficking laws.

A spokesperson for Gaetz did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story, but the Florida Republican has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, ABC News reported that Gaetz's former "wingman," former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, had provided federal investigators records of Venmo and Cash App transactions, photos, videos, and social media communications that could implicate Gaetz.

After pleading guilty in May to charges of sex trafficking of a child and five other federal offenses, none of which to date have named Gaetz, Greenberg said he would give "substantial assistance" to the Justice Department.

So far, House Republicans have stood by Gaetz and let him keep his committee posts — including on the House Judiciary Committee — during the investigation.

"Those are serious implications," Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News in March. "If it comes out to be true, yes, we would remove him if that was the case. But right now Matt Gaetz says it is not true, and we don't have any information. So let's get all the information."

The progressive research group American Bridge 21st Century posted audio on Monday of Gaetz at an August 27 New Hampshire campaign event in which he jokes about his response to a question from tourists about "weird sexual allegations" that he and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) have in common. Gaetz says he responded, "No, that was Jordan."

Jordan has been accused by former student wrestlers at the Ohio State University of ignoring sexual abuse by a team doctor during his tenure there as an assistant coach. Jordan has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.