Photos for Headline Surfer / Above: Joel Greenberg, leaving US District Court in Orlando last summer, could face upwards of 30 years in prison if convicted of a slew of felonies outlined in an indictment unsealed in June. At left: Greenberg is shown at a rally in Sanford, FL for Donald Trump in 2016. Below: Greenberg is shown in a pic from his Twitter account with Roger Stone and Congressman Matt Gaetz.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
SANFORD, Fla. -- Could a Trump pardon be in the works for federally-indicted ex-Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg? Possibly!
Only time will tell. With less than 36 hours to go in Donald Trump's presidency, Greenberg will either have his prayers answered or wait another five months or so for his day in court.
It pays to know people in high places - and in this case - even low places - if you are Greenberg, who stands accused of a slew of creepy and disgusting moral's crimes that could put him behind bars for upwards of 30 years in federal prison, if convicted.
Well, this is where Congressman Matt Gaetz and Roger Stone come in, whose relationships with Donald Trump are well chronicled.
However, one well-placed source here in Central Florida told Headline Surfer over the weekend that he doubts Congressman Matt Gaetz, who he knows personally, would be the one pitching the pardon request on behalf of Greenberg after learning o f the slew of charges against the former tax collector in a grand jury indictment unsealed in June and additional felony counts added since.
"He thinks what Joel Greenberg has allegedly done makes him a real creep," the source told Headline Surfer. So that leaves Stone, and the source was not certain if Stone would do Greenberg's bidding, but wouldn't be surprised either way.
However, one well-placed source here in Central Florida told Headline Surfer over the weekend that he doubts Congressman Matt Gaetz, who he knows personally, would be the one pitching the pardon request on behalf of Greenberg after learning of the slew of charges against the former tax collector in a grand jury indictment unsealed in June and additional felony counts added since.
"He thinks what Joel Greenberg has allegedly done makes him a real creep," the source told Headline Surfer. So that leaves Roger Stone, and the source was not certain if Stone would do Greenberg's bidding, but wouldn't be surprised either way.
Just past the midway point of his fourth year in the public office, Greenberg, stood accused before a federal judge accused in the indictment of creating fake social media accounts that falsely suggested a political opponent favored white supremacy and that this same opponent had engaged in sexual misconduct with a student at a school where he teaches, federal prosecutors said.
Greenberg, 35, and married with two children, resigned from his elected the day after he was indicted last June, and since then, additional felony counts have been added by the feds, including allegations of child sex trafficking and using his job to get information related to alleged “sugar daddy” relationships, that could land him in prison for upwards of 30 years, if convicted.
Greenberg's not scheduled to go to trial until June. That is, unless he ends up being pardoned by Trump before noon Wednesday.
Greenberg could very well see his his situation change drastically, especially considering he comes from a rich family. His family owns Greenberg Dental & Orthodontics in South Florida, which is worth millions.
CNN previously has reported there has been a crush of pardon requests during Trump's final days in office from allies, lobbyists and others hoping to cash in on their loyalty to Trump. The New York Times reported Sunday some of those people were getting paid tens of thousands of dollars to lobby on behalf of felons hoping for pardons.
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories. Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.