SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Disgraced former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg plans to wire the county nearly $1.3 million to make up for the hundreds of thousands of dollars investigators say he misused while he was in office.
The agreement comes more than two years since Greenberg first went to federal court on charges of 33 crimes. He pleaded guilty in May of 2021 to six charges, including sex trafficking of a minor.
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The county launched an investigation into Greenberg’s spending habits at the tax collector’s office. After months of negotiations with Greenberg’s attorney to recoup some of the money, Greenberg agreed to wire transfer $1.25 million this week, with another $109,000 from the federal registry.
Bryant Applegate, interim county manager and county attorney, said this is a first step in the process of seeking further restitution.
Read: Joel Greenberg talks ‘ghost candidate’ plan in jailhouse interview: Read the transcript
Applegate said he’s turning over all files to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and requesting an investigation.
Applegate wouldn’t name names but said about $100,000 of that money will be used to seek restitution from individuals found to have done anything wrong.
Read: 2 associates of Joel Greenberg accused of defrauding real estate investor out of $12 million
Greenberg is set for sentencing in December. The U.S. attorney’s office is asking for a reduced sentence for Greenberg due to his assistance in other cases that have resulted in indictments and convictions as well as one case that is still under seal.
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