UPDATE:
The claims arose from Joel Greenberg, “one of the most corrupt Florida politicians of all time,” according to Florida reporter Marc Caputo, who is now with the anti-Trump media outlet The Bulwark.
Among many things the former Seminole County tax collector admitted to as part of a wide-ranging case for which he is currently serving 11 years in prison was falsely accusing local political opponent Brian Beute of having sex with a minor, similar to the outlandish claim he made against Gaetz. Greenberg also reportedly later attempted to frame his own attorney with pornographic images of children. One New York Times writeup of Greenberg was headlined, “Like the Tiger King Got Elected Tax Collector.“
According to the Washington Post, Greenberg admitted to “fabricating allegations against a schoolteacher who was running against him to be a tax collector. Greenberg had sent letters to the school falsely claiming the teacher had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student — a similar allegation to the Gaetz case.” U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell, appointed by President Bill Clinton, said Greenberg’s actions against that innocent victim were “downright evil.”
This douchebag was charged with trying to extort $25M from Matt Gaetz’s family with sexual impropriety allegations.
Florida businessman Stephen Alford pleaded guilty in federal court last week for attempting to extort $25 million from Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) family in exchange for making as of yet unproven allegations of sexual impropriety against the congressman disappear.
“Alford, who had entered a not guilty plea Oct. 1, changed that plea at a 2 p.m., Monday hearing in Pensacola before U.S. Magistrate Elizabeth Timothy,” reported Northwest Florida Daily News. “He pleaded guilty to one of the three counts of wire fraud he was originally charged with.”
“A charge of tampering with evidence was thrown out. That charge resulted from Alford destroying a cellphone before federal agents could confiscate it,” the report added.
Alford could face up to a maximum of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on February 16 of next year.
Alford allegedly participated in an extortion scheme wherein Matt Gaetz’s father, Don Gaetz, was asked if he would contribute $25 million to a fund that would help locate Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who was kidnapped in Iran and is now presumed dead. If Don Gaetz cooperated, it was promised that a presidential pardon would be granted to his son, who is currently under investigation for sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl.
This is how Dem-controlled regimes target political opponents. It would not be surprising at all if the DOJ was involved in the extortion attempt.