Gaetz’s Ex-Girlfriend Testifies Before Federal Grand Jury

Politics|Gaetz’s Ex-Girlfriend Testifies Before Federal Grand Jury

WASHINGTON — A erstwhile woman of Representative Matt Gaetz testified connected Wednesday earlier a national expansive assemblage successful Orlando scrutinizing whether helium broke enactment trafficking laws, according to 2 radical briefed connected the case.

The improvement suggests that the Justice Department whitethorn person secured a cardinal witnesser successful its inquiry, which is seeking to find whether Mr. Gaetz provided goods oregon payments to a 17-year-old miss successful speech for sex. Mr. Gaetz, a Republican, has represented a territory successful occidental Florida since 2017.

The witness, who testified successful Federal District Court, dated Mr. Gaetz for astir 2 years, opening successful 2017, and she remained successful interaction with him aft their narration ended, according to a idiosyncratic who knew the mates astatine the time.

NBC News and CNN earlier reported that Mr. Gaetz’s erstwhile woman was testifying earlier a national expansive jury.

She met Mr. Gaetz done 1 of his erstwhile confidants, Joel Greenberg, who pleaded blameworthy past year to a bid of charges — including enactment trafficking a insignificant — and is present cooperating successful the investigation, the idiosyncratic said.

Mr. Gaetz is accused of having had enactment with the aforesaid minor, a 17-year-old, during the span of his narration with the erstwhile girlfriend. Mr. Greenberg has told others that helium and Mr. Gaetz had enactment with the miss and that she had claimed to beryllium implicit 18, but they aboriginal learned her age.

Investigators person asked Mr. Gaetz’s erstwhile woman astir immoderate intersexual narration that the insignificant whitethorn person had with Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Gaetz, and whether the miss received wealth oregon worldly goods similar meals, drugs and edifice rooms successful exchange.

Representatives for Mr. Gaetz did not instantly respond to requests for comment. He has repeatedly denied immoderate wrongdoing successful the case, including having enactment with a insignificant and paying for sex.

Multiple radical person told investigators that Mr. Gaetz’s erstwhile woman is 1 of respective women who met Mr. Greenberg done the website SeekingArrangement, which describes itself arsenic a spot wherever affluent radical find charismatic companions and dainty them to gifts and cash.

Mr. Greenberg past introduced these women to Mr. Gaetz, who often had intersexual relationships with them, the witnesses person said.

Investigators began seeking grounds and grounds from Mr. Gaetz’s erstwhile woman successful precocious 2020, and the F.B.I. seized her telephone astatine the extremity of that year, according to 2 radical acquainted with the investigation.

They besides person asked her whether Mr. Gaetz sought to dissuade imaginable witnesses from cooperating with the investigation, according to radical acquainted with the inquiry.

One of the difficulties of prosecuting Mr. Gaetz is the credibility of galore of the cardinal witnesses.

Mr. Greenberg, who could look a decennary successful prison, has agreed to cooperate with the authorities successful the hopes of receiving a lighter sentence.

But defence lawyers could question to undermine Mr. Greenberg by citing his agelong past of fraud and corruption to rise doubts astir his reliability.

After repeated delays, Mr. Greenberg is present scheduled to beryllium sentenced successful March. In a motion of the complexity of the case, 2 apical prosecutors from the Justice Department successful Washington joined the probe past year — 1 with expertise successful kid exploitation and the different a apical authoritative successful the nationalist corruption unit.

Katie Benner reported from Washington, and Michael S. Schmidt from New York.