The Department of Justice has closed the books on a years long investigation into a member of Congress.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. will not face charges over allegations he helped sex traffick a 17-year-old girl across state lines.
Gaetz has consistently denied the allegations.
Gaetz’s friend, Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December after he pled guilty in a plea deal.Â
Greenberg pleaded guilty to identity theft, stalking, wire fraud, conspiracy to bribe a public official and sex trafficking of a minor.
In a different case last year, Florida man Stephen Alford was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud amid a bizarre plot involving an attempt to shake down the father of Rep. Matt Gaetz and a pledge to try to secure a presidential pardon.
That case had also brought Gaetz into the news, where he went public with his own account of the bizarre shakedown scheme during an appearance on Fox host Tucker Carlson’s show. Gaetz’ account ultimately held up.