In the child sex trafficking investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Justice Department has added two top federal prosecutors to the case, according to the New York Times.
The prosecutors — one a public corruption investigator with an expertise in child exploitation crimes, and the other a top leader of the public corruption unit — have been working on the Florida-based investigation for at least three months, the people said.
It is not unusual for prosecutors from the Justice Department in Washington to be added to local teams of federal investigators in high-profile cases that require a deep and specific expertise like sex crimes.
According to the Times, authorities have been investigating whether Gaetz violated a federal sex trafficking law by “providing goods or payments” to a 17-year-old girl in exchange for sex.
Gaetz , a GOP Representative from Florida, is a close ally of former president Trump. He has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime.
Only one person, Joel Greenberg, a former local tax collector in Florida, has been charged in the case. Greenberg is an acquaintance of Gaetz. A judge has delayed Greenberg’s sentencing because he has been providing the government with more information in the case.
“Under President Biden, the Justice Department has largely avoided having to directly take on Mr. Trump and his allies, leaving investigations of the previous administration to Congress and inspectors general. But moving forward with a case against Mr. Gaetz would directly pit the administration against one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal allies in a new way.”
The New York Times
The Federal law for sex trafficking a minor carries a mandatory 10 year prison sentence.
