U.S. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) delivers remarks within the House Chamber through the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House on the U.S. Capitol Constructing on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC.
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The Department of Justice has decided to not criminally charge Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., within the agency’s two-year probe of alleged sex trafficking, his lawyers said Wednesday.
The DOJ’s decision was not a surprise, as nearly two years had passed without prosecutors filing charges against Gaetz, despite obtaining cooperation of their probe from his former friend, disgraced Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg.
“We have now just spoken with the DOJ and have been informed that they’ve concluded their investigation into Congressman Gaetz and allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice and so they have determined to not bring any charges against him,” Gaetz’s lawyers Marc Mukasey and Isabelle Kirshner said in an announcement to CNBC.
Gaetz’s office in an announcement, said, “The Department of Justice has confirmed to Congressman Gaetz’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he is not going to be charged with any crimes.”
A DOJ spokesman declined to comment.
The Washington Post in September reported that profession prosecutors had beneficial against charging Gaetz as a result of concerns about Greenberg and one other potential witness.
John Clune, the lawyer representing the young woman who was the main focus of the investigation into Gaetz and others, in an announcement, said, “Our client was recently notified by the Department of Justice of their decision to not prosecute this matter.”
“She understands the choice and is grateful for the Department’s labor and support during this difficult experience,” Clune said. “Neither she nor her counsel may have any further comment presently.”
Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of minor, identity theft, stalking, wire fraud and conspiracy to bribe a public official.
Prosecutors have said that Greenberg paid a minimum of one minor to have sex with him and other men.
Greenberg’s lawyer in December criticized the DOJ’s handling of the case, noting that his client had discussed “public figures” during his cooperation, and that his accounts were corroborated by other witnesses and records.
“Perhaps the DOJ will appoint a special counsel to deal with those individuals that implicate broader national concerns,” Greenberg’s lawyer, Fritz Scheller, wrote in a court filing. “Perhaps the DOJ are master strategists far beyond the capabilities of the undersigned. Or perhaps the DOJ is like Nero fiddling away as Rome burns.”