Where Is Joel Greenberg Now? The Tax Collector Pleaded Guilty to Sex Trafficking 17-Year-Old Girl
Greenberg is a friend of Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Published Nov. 14 2025, 12:31 p.m. ET
Former Seminole County, Florida, tax collector Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in May of 2021, and the public is wondering where the Republican politician is now. Greenberg is a friend of Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
According to ABC News, Greenberg pleaded guilty to several federal crimes that include sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl and introducing "adult men" for sex acts. The former tax collector also agreed to give prosecutors from the Department of Justice "substantial assistance" in their investigation into Gaetz. The DOJ ultimately did not prosecute Gaetz because investigators could not prove that he knew he had sex with an underage girl, per ABC.
Where is Joel Greenberg now?
Greenberg is currently serving time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Fla. In addition to being charged with sex trafficking a minor, Greenberg was charged with identity theft, wire fraud, stalking, and conspiracy to bribe a public official.
In his plea deal, Greenberg agreed to help the DOJ with their investigation into Gaetz as well as helping prosecutors holding a federal investigation into attempts from officials trying to block the certification of the 2020 election results, per WESH News. Greenberg was described by prosecutors as giving his "full cooperation" in the "commercial sex trafficking" investigation.
WESH News also noted that court documents revealed that Gaetz consumed cocaine and ecstasy.
"Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy on multiple occasions," read the documents. "Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity. ... Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl."
Here's what we know about Joel Greenberg's sentence and his wife's reaction.
Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison after agreeing to a plea deal, and his attorney said it was "troubling" that the DOJ decided not to prosecute Gaetz following his client's cooperation.
"While the decision is troubling, it's not surprising," the lawyer said. Greenberg reportedly gave investigators years' worth of Venmo and Cash App receipts, as well as thousands of videos and pictures. He also gave the investigators access to his social media.
Abby Greenberg, the politician's ex-wife, filed for divorce in 2021 following Greenberg's plea deal, and court documents revealed that his crimes contributed to the Greenbergs' divorce.
"The marriage is irretrievably broken," read the documents, which also note that Greenberg "will be incarcerated for a significant number of years."
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Abby — who is a real estate agent — and her attorney, Clayton Simmons, claimed in 2022 that Greenberg failed to pay alimony or child support for their two children, even though he had a $3 million cryptocurrency account.
"We don’t know where that crypto account is,” said the attorney. "But she would have a claim to a share of that."
According to The New York Times, Gaetz denied having sex with the minor in a text message.
“I never had sex with this person,” he wrote. "This person threatened me with a lawsuit if I didn’t pay her $2.3 million."
Greenberg is expected to be released from prison in 2030. He will be a registered sex offender for life.
Report online or in-person sexual abuse of a child or teen by calling the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or visiting childhelp.org. Learn more about the warning signs of child abuse at RAINN.org.