Gaetz says criminal inquiry of him is over
Sex-trafficking case brings no charges for Florida Republican.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican known for his strong support of former President Trump and membership in the far-right House Freedom Caucus, said Wednesday that the Justice Department had ended a sex-trafficking case with no charges against him.
Gaetz, who represents much of Florida’s Panhandle, reported in a statement through his congressional office that the long-running investigation was over. He had insisted throughout that he was innocent of any wrongdoing.
“The Department of Justice has confirmed to Congressman Gaetz’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he will not be charged with any crimes,” the statement said.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the development, first reported by CNN.
Gaetz gained national attention by offering an unabashed defense of Trump in frequent cable news appearances. But few fellow Republicans supported him as the investigation overshadowed his career, and some treated him as a pariah.
Federal prosecutors were investigating whether Gaetz and onetime political ally Joel Greenberg had paid underage girls and escorts or offered them gifts in exchange for sex, according to two people familiar with the case, who were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that he had paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty.
Greenberg was sentenced late last year to 11 years in federal prison for a variety of crimes.
Investigators were looking into a trip that Gaetz had taken to the Bahamas with a group of women and Jason Pirozzolo, a hand surgeon and Gaetz campaign donor, and whether the women were paid or received gifts to have sex with the men, said a person familiar with the matter.
David Haas, a lawyer for Pirozzolo, said in a statement Wednesday that he received a similar notification from the Justice Department about the investigation being closed.
“Dr. Pirozzolo requests that [his] and his family’s privacy be respected as the last few years have been extremely difficult to endure,” Haas said.
Prosecutors also investigated whether Gaetz and his associates had tried to secure government jobs for some of the women, the sources said. Prosecutors were scrutinizing his connections to the medical marijuana sector as well, including whether his associates sought to influence legislation Gaetz had sponsored.
The House Ethics Committee announced its own investigation into Gaetz in April 2021. The opening of that bipartisan inquiry was one of the first official indications that Republican leaders were willing to scrutinize his actions.
Last month, Gaetz again ran afoul of much of his party as one of the hardright members who opposed GOP leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker and forced the Bakersfield Republican to submit to a record 15 ballots.
At one point, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) angrily confronted Gaetz on the House floor, saying he would regret taking his position. Lawmakers yelled in disbelief as a colleague held Rogers back, and McCarthy was eventually elected speaker.