Associate of former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg sentenced to federal prison

ORLANDO, Fla. — An associate of former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg will serve seven years in federal prison.

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40-year-old Michael Shirley was convicted of a kickback scheme with Greenberg in which he defrauded taxpayers out of more than $640,000.

Shirley spoke to reporters after his sentencing, and was still reluctant to say whether he was remorseful for his actions.

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Shirley was still waiting to see where he’d spend the next seven years as he left the federal courthouse in Downtown Orlando Tuesday.

The judge allowed Shirley time out until he has to to report to prison to start serving his sentence later this year.

“Obviously, you’re always disappointed in these types of things,” Shirley said after his sentence was announced. “As I told the judge, he had a very heavy burden he had to do.”

Shirley is one of several associates of Greenberg who have been convicted of what the judge described as enabling Greenberg in a criminal enterprise using an elected position to break the law and undermine taxpayers.

For his part, Shirley gave Greenberg a $6,000 kickback, and in return, was given a lucrative contract with the Seminole County Tax Collector’s Office for consulting work, for which prosecutors say very little work was done while inflated invoices were being submitted.

As part of his sentence, Shirley must also repay Seminole County more than $536,000.

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Seminole County District 4 Commissioner Amy Lockhart was present for the sentencing. She and her fellow Commissioners wrote the judge, saying that Shirley and Greenberg’s actions have had lasting effects, eroding the public trust.

“I think that was something that Mr. Shirley kept trying to differentiate himself from throughout his trial, was that he was not an elected official,” Lockhart said after the sentencing. “It’s true that elected officials have a great responsibility, but every person who has responsibility for the Administering of taxpayer dollars- every employee who clocks in in the morning and clocks out at night- has a duty to the citizens of Seminole County to use their time and their resources wisely and ethically.”

Shirley says he plans to file an appeal.

As for his thoughts on Greenberg, Shirley says he’s worried the former disgraced Tax Collector will continue to hurt others.

“I’ve gone through and I’ve read all the things and, separate from my case, things that I know are just fantastical fabrications,” Shirley said.

Shirley says he believes Greenberg- who continues to aid federal authorities- is attempting to reduce his 11-year sentence by bringing down others, pointing to the ethics investigation into Congressman Matt Gaetz as an example.

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“Then he sends Matt a letter, I think in November of 2023, saying ‘hey, I’m sorry for doing this to people. You’re doing great up there, hope to see you soon.’ I mean, what do you say to that,” Shirley questioned. “How do you respond to something like that?”

Shirley is the second person to go to prison after Greenberg. Joseph Ellicott was sentenced for his role in the scheme back in 2022, and testified during Shirly’s trial.

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