- The unnamed woman dated the Florida congressman from 2017
- Gaetz, 39, is being investigated for possible sex trafficking and prostitution
- His ex-girlfriend is hoped by prosecutors to be able to explain financial records
- Gaetz’s friend Joel Greenberg on Monday pleaded guilty to sex crimes
- Greenberg has told prosecutors that Gaetz paid for sex with a minor
- Gaetz has denied ever paying for sex, or sleeping with a 17-year-old as an adult
Matt Gaetz‘s ex-girlfriend is cooperating with prosecutors investigating possible sex trafficking, according to a report.
The unnamed woman worked on Capitol Hill and was linked to the Florida congressman as far back as 2017, CNN reported.
She has featured in the investigation thanks to a video she filmed of herself naked hula-hooping, which she sent to Gaetz, and he shared with other members of Congress.
Gaetz is in the spotlight thanks to his friendship with a former Florida tax collector, Joel Greenberg, described as his ‘wingman’, who on Monday pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud and sexual offenses.
Gaetz’s ex is considered key to helping prosecutors piece together transaction records, which they believe to be payment for sex.
Greenberg told investigators that Gaetz and at least two other men had sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl.
In April, Politico reported that the former girlfriend had told friends she was worried that a 17-year-old who is key to the federal government’s sex-crimes investigation tried to get her to incriminate him on a recorded call.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied he ever had sex with a minor or paid for sex.
‘Congressman Gaetz has never had sex with a minor and has never paid for sex,’ said Gaetz’s spokesman, Harlan Hill.
‘Mr Greenberg has now pleaded guilty to falsely accusing someone else of sex with a minor. That person was innocent. So is Congressman Gaetz.’
Since December, Gaetz has been engaged to Ginger Luckey, a 26-year-old sustainable business analyst, who he met at nine months earlier at a Trump fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
‘That could be trafficking’: Texts between Matt Gaetz’s old wingman Joel Greenberg and a Florida radio host reveal they feared their ‘underage sex ring’ would be exposed
Text messages exchanged between Matt Gaetz‘s old wingman Joel Greenberg and a Florida radio host have revealed how they feared their alleged sex trafficking ring could be exposed.
The messages, obtained by The Daily Beast, were sent between Greenberg and former local CBS sports radio host Joe ‘Big Joe’ Ellicott over the encrypted messaging app Signal.
Greenberg, a disgraced tax collector and Florida politician, pleaded guilty this week to sex trafficking a minor as part of a deal with prosecutors that he agreed to in exchange for testifying against Gaetz.
Gaetz, the Republican Congressman for Florida’s 1st district, has not been arrested or charged with any crimes, and he has denied allegations that he ever sex trafficked anyone.
In the text messages, Ellicott – who is friends with Greenberg – raised concerns that others they know might face legal troubles for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl.