Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums'Like the Tiger King Got Elected Tax Collector': Inside the Case That Ensnared Matt Gaetz
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/11/us/politics/joel-greenberg-matt-gaetz.htmlLike the Tiger King Got Elected Tax Collector: Inside the Case That Ensnared Matt Gaetz
Joel Greenberg, a onetime local official in Florida, is accused of an array of crimes, including bribery, stalking and corruption.
By Patricia Mazzei, Michael S. Schmidt and Katie Benner
Published April 11, 2021 Updated April 12, 2021, 6:29 a.m. ET
LAKE MARY, Fla. Long before the F.B.I. began to scrutinize a tax collector in Florida named Joel Greenberg and long before his trail led them to Representative Matt Gaetz he amassed an outlandish record in the mundane local public office he had turned into a personal fief of power.
Records and interviews detailed a litany of accusations: Mr. Greenberg strutted into work with a pistol on his hip in a state that does not allow guns to be openly carried. He spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to create no-show jobs for a relative and some of his groomsmen. He tried to talk his way out of a traffic ticket, asking a police officer for professional courtesy. He played police officer himself, putting a flashing light on his car to pull over a woman and accuse her of speeding. He published an anti-Muslim Facebook post. He solicited help to hack critics on the county commission.
Stalking a rival candidate got him arrested. Federal agents looking into the matter found at least five fake IDs in his wallet and backpack, and kept digging.
Their inquiry culminated in 33 federal charges against Mr. Greenberg, 36, including sex trafficking of a minor, bribery, fraud and stalking and led to a mushrooming political scandal that burst into national news in recent days and ensnared Mr. Gaetz, who is a close ally of President Donald J. Trump, and other influential Florida Republicans, with the investigation continuing.
....
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
5 replies, 805 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (7)
ReplyReply to this post
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
'Like the Tiger King Got Elected Tax Collector': Inside the Case That Ensnared Matt Gaetz (Original Post)
dalton99a
Apr 2021
OP
who the hell knows who their 'tax collecter' is?..sounds like something out of..
samnsara
Apr 2021
#1
samnsara
(17,570 posts)1. who the hell knows who their 'tax collecter' is?..sounds like something out of..
..ancient Rome...
Cracklin Charlie
(12,904 posts)2. Greenberg was out of control.
He is gonna send lots of folks to prison.
IbogaProject
(2,693 posts)3. Whew
They need to look at missing person cases in that part of his state.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,085 posts)4. Floriduh
What else can you say?
crickets
(25,896 posts)5. Wow. If you can get to the article, it's a doozy.
More background details flesh out the story of a 'special' boy and 'troubled' teen/tween who became a bored, unfocused middle-aged man yearning for power. Sound familiar?