ORLANDO, Fla. — Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg has asked a judge to delay his sentencing on six federal charges, citing his ongoing cooperation with authorities as part of a plea deal he struck in May.
Greenberg’s sentencing is currently slated for Aug. 19. But in a motion filed Tuesday, his attorney, Fritz Scheller, asked to delay the hearing for 90 days.
Scheller said his client has been cooperating with the government on an ongoing basis, having already participated in “a series of” interviews, known as proffers, with federal authorities.
“Said cooperation, which could impact his ultimate sentence, cannot be completed prior to the time of his sentencing,” Scheller wrote. “The parties expect that Mr. Greenberg will participate in additional proffers, and a continuance would provide Mr. Greenberg with additional time to do so prior to his sentencing.”
The government is not objecting to the sentencing delay, according to Scheller.
Greenberg in a cooperation agreement pleaded guilty to six of the 33 charges he faced, including identity theft and sex trafficking of a child. He could face at least 12 years in prison — the statutory minimum for his offenses — though prosecutors have indicated they will recommend a lesser sentence if Greenberg provides substantial assistance.
According to Scheller’s motion, the determining Greenberg’s sentencing guidelines range has been “complicated by both the diversity and nature of his charges.”
Determining the amount of restitution Greenberg owes to his victims has also been complicated, according to his attorney’s motion.
“In this regard, the parties have been diligently working together, as well as with multiple parties, to resolve the calculation of the Defendant’s restitution obligation prior to his sentencing,” Scheller writes. “Nevertheless, because the restitution issue involves multiple parties and disputed amounts, the matter cannot be resolved prior to Mr. Greenberg’s current sentencing date.”
In his plea deal, Greenberg confessed to having stolen multiple identities, including that of a customer of his elected office; embezzling money from that office to enrich himself with cryptocurrency; smearing a political opponent with false child rape allegations, and bribing a government worker to obtain bogus COVID-19 relief loans.
He also admitted to paying more than $70,000 over two years to women —and a 17-year-old girl — for sex, many of whom he met through a so-called “sugar daddy” website.
The deal requires Greenberg to cooperate with authorities in the sprawling investigation, which has reportedly taken aim at his friend U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. According to reports, that probe concerns, among other things, whether Gaetz along with Greenberg paid for sex with women and the 17-year-old, allegations Gaetz vehemently denies.
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