Officials: US Rep. Matt Gaetz’s Friend Joel Greenberg Accessed Restricted Database On 300 People

2 years ago 258

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Joel Greenberg, the person of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz who pleaded blameworthy earlier this twelvemonth to individuality theft and different charges, accessed a restricted authorities database done his presumption arsenic a section taxation collector successful Florida to look up accusation astir hundreds of people, officials said.

Greenberg looked up accusation connected astir 300 people, utilizing the Driver and Vehicle Information Database, known arsenic DAVID, according to the Seminole County Tax Collector’s Office, located successful a suburb of Orlando, Florida.

READ MORE: Surge Of COVID-19 Infections For Unvaccinated People Is Only Beginning, Experts Warn

“We’re inactive moving connected determining the radical searched,” Alan Byrd, a spokesperson for the Tax Collector’s Office, told the Orlando Sentinel this week. “This was an enactment by the erstwhile taxation collector that was not condoned by the DAVID system, and we are moving to marque definite that this benignant of enactment does not hap again.”

The DAVID strategy is utilized by constabulary officers and deputies to rapidly entree a person’s information, including Social Security number, day of birth, addresses, signatures, and aesculapian and disablement information.

Greenberg and his employees had entree to the DAVID strategy due to the fact that residents get centrifugal conveyance licenses done the county’s Tax Collector’s offices.

“I’m not amazed for 1 azygous moment,” said Seminole Commissioner Jay Zembower. “But it causes maine large interest for those individuals, who for immoderate intent oregon reason, helium was asking for their idiosyncratic information.”

Officials successful the Seminole County Tax Collector’s Office accidental they lone learned astir Greenberg’s searches aft receiving a nationalist records petition from the Florida Center for Government Accountability, a authorities watchdog group, astir the erstwhile taxation collector’s usage of the DAVID system.

READ MORE: Activists To Hold 'Down With The Chains' Rally At Bayfront Park Saturday

However, Byrd said that immoderate of Greenberg’s searches could person been legitimate, specified arsenic idiosyncratic asking him to spot if their driver’s licence was inactive valid. Greenberg took bureau successful aboriginal 2017 and resigned aft his apprehension successful June 2020.

Greenberg pleaded blameworthy past May to six national crimes, including enactment trafficking of a child, individuality theft, stalking, ligament fraud and conspiracy to bribe a nationalist official. He primitively had faced 33 national charges, but prosecutors dropped the different 27 counts filed against him. His plea statement with prosecutors requires continued practice with an ongoing probe into enactment trafficking.

Gaetz, a Republican who represents overmuch of the Florida Panhandle, was not mentioned successful Greenberg’s plea agreement. But Greenberg’s practice could play a relation successful an ongoing probe into Gaetz’s expected pay-for-sex narration with a 17-year-old girl.

Gaetz, a adjacent state of erstwhile President Donald Trump, has denied immoderate allegations of wrongdoing and has said repeatedly helium volition not resign from Congress. No charges person been brought against Gaetz.

Greenberg has been linked to a fig of different Florida politicians and their associates. So far, nary of them person been implicated by sanction successful the enactment trafficking probe.

MORE NEWS: Gov. DeSantis, Other Republican 2024 Prospects Target Public Health Officials With Political Attacks

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Read Entire Article