Ex-Seminole County tax collector arrested pending federal trial for bond violation

ORLANDO, Fla. – Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg was arrested Tuesday after prosecutors said he violated the terms of his bail by traveling to Jupiter.

Greenberg awaits the start of his federal lawsuit this spring over allegations of federal stalking, unlawful use of means to identify another person, submission of identification and false identification documents, aggravated identity theft, sex trafficking of a child, and the Driver’s violation Privacy Protection Act.

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A public affairs specialist at the US law firm confirmed via email that Greenberg was arrested Tuesday night for a bond violation.

Greenberg appeared before a judge on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. over the bond violation. Prosecutors said he violated his release in the run-up to the trial by traveling to Jupiter on Sunday and being outside his curfew, which is from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m.

His ankle monitor pinged to notify authorities, and Greenberg came into contact with Jupiter police, according to prosecutors.

His lawyer Fritz Scheller said he was in the area for family reasons. Greenberg wanted to sue the court, but Scheller would not allow him.

‘I am not going to go into the substance of the accusations. You know, we negotiated them. They were technical fouls. Obviously, being on a curfew is a difficult process. It sounds like it’s relatively easy, but it isn’t, ”said Scheller.

On Friday, both sides agreed to ease Greenberg’s bond restrictions, but it’s unclear why, as those court records have been sealed.

Greenberg, 35, served as a Seminole County tax collector from January 2017 to June 24, 2020, when he stepped down after his indictment.

A check of Greenberg’s years in office found that he had wrongly spent millions of taxpayer dollars on purchases, including body armor and a sprinkler system to target petitioners.

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Greenberg is accused of stalking his political opponent by creating fake social media accounts and spreading a false rumor that his opponent sexually assaulted a student, using information from surrendered driver’s licenses to create fake IDs with his photo on it, in an attempt to make false gun licenses. and using false IDs for persons with whom he had “sugar daddy relationships” so that they could “engage in commercial sex acts” despite being underage.

He has filed a plea in which he is not guilty of all charges.

The trial was scheduled for March, but Greenberg recently hired a new attorney, which could delay the proceedings again.

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