SUMMER. ALRIGHT JIM. THANK YOU. ALSO BREAKING RIGHT NOW NEWS IN THE FEDERAL CASE AGAINST SEMINOLE COUNTY’S FORMER TAX COLLECTOR. JOEL GREENBERG IS EXPECTED TO PLAY GUILTY TO ONE OR MORE COUNTS AGAINST HIM. HE WAS INDICTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING OF A MINOR STALKING ID THEFT AND TRYING TO STEAL MONEY FROM THE GOVERNMENT WHILE SHE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER GREG FOX’S LIVE OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE RIGHT NOW IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO GREG. THIS COULD HAVE IMPLICATIONS IN THE AGAINST FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN MATT GATES I’D CERTAINLY COULD TO WHAT EXTENT IS NOT REALLY CLEAR AT THIS POINT. MATT GATES HAS ADMITTED THAT HE IS PART OF A JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION, BUT HE SAYS IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SEX TRAFFICKING AND HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH AN EXTORTION PLOT AGAINST HIS WEALTHY FAMILY. HE SAYS THAT HE HAS BROKEN NO LAWS, BUT NOW WITH THIS PLEA COMING UP ON MONDAY THAT COULD SHED NEW LIGHT ON BOTH CASES. JOEL GREENBERG MAY HAVE NEEDED LITTLE PERSUASION BY HIS ATTORNEY. TO ACCEPT A PLEA BARGAIN TO SHAVE COUNTS AND YEARS IN PRISON IF CONVICTED IN FEDERAL COURT ACCORDING TO A HEARING NOTICE FILED THURSDAY GREENBERG WILL CHANGE HIS PLEA FROM NOT GUILTY IN FRONT OF A JUDGE MONDAY THE FORMER SEMINOLE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR WAS FIRST ARRESTED LAST JUNE AND CHARGED WITH FRAUD. HE ALLEGEDLY SENT LETTERS TO THE SCHOOL WHERE HIS CAMPAIGN RIVAL TEACHES AND CREATED BOGUS SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THE TEACHER WAS IN A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STUDENT. MORE CHARGES WERE ADDED IN AUGUST THAT INCLUDED SEX TRAFFICKING OF A MINOR. THAT’S WHEN GREENBERG ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES BEGAN SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH FLORIDA REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN, MATT GATES AND A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP. THEY BOTH ALLEGEDLY HAD WITH A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL AND PAID RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN. LAST MONTH CNN REPORTED ABOUT PARTIES ATTENDED BY GREENBERG AND GATES AS RECOUNTED BY TWO WOMEN WHO ATTENDED THE GATHERINGS THE BEHAVIOR OF GATES AND THE OTHER HIGH-POWERED MEN AT THE EVENTS AND A PATTERN OF DIGITAL PAYMENTS THAT FOLLOWED WILL LIKELY BE ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AS PART OF THE GATES PROBE. GREENBERG’S ATTORNEY SAID AS MUCH AFTER THE HEARING LAST MONTH IN WHICH HE ANNOUNCED A PLEA DEAL WAS IN THE WORKS AN INDICATED GATES SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT GREEN BIRDS TESTIMONY. THIS WAS NOT A SURPRISE. THIS WAS NOT A STRONG ARM TACTIC AND THE EMPHASIS IN THE LAST FEW DAYS IS ON THE MATT GAGE JOE GREENBERG RELATIONSHIP, RIGHT? SO I MEAN ISN’T IT WOULDN’T BE OBVIOUS TO ASSUME THAT HE WOULD BE CONCERNED A SPOKESMAN FOR GATES WHO WAS IN THE VILLAGES LAST FRIDAY TO LAUNCH HIS AMERICA FIRST TOUR HAD THIS REACTION TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CHANGE IN GREENBIRDS. PLEA THE FIRST INDICTMENT OF JOEL GREENBERG ALLEGES THAT HE FALSELY ACCUSED ANOTHER MAN OF SEX WITH A MINOR FOR HIS OWN GAIN. THAT MAN WAS APPARENTLY INNOCENT. SO IS CONGRESSMAN GATES? AND JUST THE CHARGE OF SEX TRAFFICKING ALONE IF HE IS CONVICTED OF THAT BRINGS A MINIMUM MANDATORY SENTENCE FOR GREENBERG OF 10 YEARS IN PRISON. HE’S ALSO CHARGED WITH TRYING TO STEAL MORE THAN 430,000 IN CARES ACT MONEY THE KIND OF MONEY THAT WAS INTENDED TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES DURING THE PANDEMIC AND BRIBING A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE ALONG THE WAY WE COULD HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT’S IN THAT PLEA DEAL AS SOON AS TOMORROW.