ORLANDO, Fla. — A judge has granted a request by Joel Greenberg, Seminole County’s former tax collector who recently pleaded guilty to six crimes, to delay his sentencing for three months as he continues to cooperate with federal authorities.
Greenberg, 36, will now face sentencing at 9 a.m. Nov. 18 at the federal courthouse in downtown Orlando, before U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell, who granted the request to delay the hearing.
In May, Greenberg pleaded guilty to crimes including sex trafficking of a child, identity theft, bribery of a public official and stalking.
He had previously been slated to learn his fate on Aug. 19, but his attorney, Fritz Scheller, on Tuesday asked for a 90-day delay.
Scheller cited Greenberg’s ongoing cooperation with federal authorities, as he agreed to in a plea deal in which prosecutors agreed to drop 27 of the 33 counts on which he had been indicted in the sprawling investigation.
“Said cooperation, which could impact his ultimate sentence, cannot be completed prior to the time of his sentencing,” Scheller wrote.
Greenberg could face 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.
The investigation, which started out targeting Greenberg’s embezzlement of public funds for a cryptocurrency scheme, has reportedly widened to target everything from potential public corruption in medical marijuana politics to possible sex trafficking crimes by his associates.
Among those reported to be in the crosshairs of investigators is Greenberg’s friend U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, with authorities probing whether Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl who Greenberg has confessed to trafficking. Gaetz, R-Fla., has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.
