Matt Gaetz Sex Trafficking Case: Prosecutors Call For No Charges

FLORIDA — Prosecutors are encouraging federal officials not to pursue charges against Rep. Matt Gaetz in a long-running sex trafficking investigation, citing the credibility of two key witnesses, according to a Washington Post report.

Gaetz, a Republican and staunch Trump supporter who represents a conservative district in the Florida Panhandle, has been under investigation to determine whether the second-term House member violated federal sex-trafficking laws by transporting a teenage girl across state lines to engage in sex.

The federal investigation was launched during the Trump administration under former Attorney General William Barr. Gaetz has vehemently denied the accusations.

RELATED: Gaetz Says Allegations Of Sex With Teen Part Of Blackmail Scheme

Department of Justice officials have not decided whether to formally charge Gaetz, but the advice of prosecutors will likely be considered, the Post reported.

Key witnesses include Gaetz's ex-girlfriend, who was among several women Gaetz reportedly took to the Bahamas in 2018. According to the Post, the 17-year-old at the center of the investigation was also on that trip but was likely 18 or older at the time.

The other witness is Joel Greenberg, a former friend of Gaetz and former tax collector for Seminole County, the Post reported. Greenberg agreed to cooperate with authorities and pleaded guilty in 2021 to the sex trafficking of a minor and several other charges. In exchange, prosecutors dropped another 27 counts against Greenberg.

Gaetz previously admitted he paid for hotels and plane tickets for girlfriends before he was engaged to be married, but denied he ever dated anyone underage.

He told Fox News that "providing for flights and hotel rooms for people that you are dating who are of legal age is not a crime."

In a series of tweets, Gaetz outlined his defense, saying the story was fabricated by a former DOJ official who is attempting to extort $25 million from his family by "threatening to smear my name."

He also said the same official leaked the false story of his involvement with a 17-year-old girl to the New York Times.

The Florida congressman became engaged to Ginger Luckey in December 2020 at Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort.