Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Everything seems to be falling in line nicely...
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Everything seems to be falling in line nicely...
would be nicer if things fell in to place, you know, before the statute of limitations runs out....
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Everything seems to be falling in line nicely...
would be nicer if things fell in to place, you know, before the statute of limitations runs out....
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Everything seems to be falling in line nicely...
would be nicer if things fell in to place, you know, before the statute of limitations runs out....
I can't believe it would be running close to statute already. Serious felonies have longer times.
Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Everything seems to be falling in line nicely...
would be nicer if things fell in to place, you know, before the statute of limitations runs out....
I can't believe it would be running close to statute already. Serious felonies have longer times.
she'll be 22 this year, if they can charge on the first link like they charged Greenberg, clock on the statute of limitations doesnt even BEGIN til she turns 24....
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Everything seems to be falling in line nicely...
would be nicer if things fell in to place, you know, before the statute of limitations runs out....
I can't believe it would be running close to statute already. Serious felonies have longer times.
i'm just saying we are almost a year into the gaetz bs and he has not been arrested or indicted. several people are cooperating. what the fuck are they waiting for?
meanwhile gaetz is free to continue to do rallies and raise money.
anybody else would have been booked months ago.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Florida collectibles dealer connected to Gaetz probe to plead guilty
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
The federal courthouse in Orlando is pictured in May.
By David KiharaJanuary 26, 2022
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Everything seems to be falling in line nicely...
would be nicer if things fell in to place, you know, before the statute of limitations runs out....
I can't believe it would be running close to statute already. Serious felonies have longer times.
i'm just saying we are almost a year into the gaetz bs and he has not been arrested or indicted. several people are cooperating. what the fuck are they waiting for?
meanwhile gaetz is free to continue to do rallies and raise money.
anybody else would have been booked months ago.
I think you have to think of this like the Jan 6 stuff. The DOJ starts small and builds the case up. They gain new information, witnesses, etc. to build the bigger cases. Presumably, Gaetz is at or near the top of this little circle of pimps, and if that is the case, you would expect him to be charged last.
The analogy is like how Steward Rhoades was just arrested and received the most serious charges to date.
Stone and Gaetz spoke bluntly as the congressman awaited his turn onstage. They discussed their mutual dislike of Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). Stone called him “such an a--hole,” and Gaetz said he was “one of my least favorite people I’ve ever had to work with.” Stone mocked the hairstyle and suits worn by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), prompting Gaetz to reply: “Anybody that can land a wife like that needs no advice from me.” Gaetz remarked that his district was so conservative that he effectively never had to campaign for reelection.
In the statement, Gaetz’s office said he stood by those comments.
The pair went on to discuss a photograph of them posing with Joel Greenberg, then the tax collector of Seminole County, Fla. Stone said the photograph had “come back to bite us in the a--.” Hedid not elaborate. The Orlando Sentinel had reported the previous week that Greenberg had given publicly funded contracts to friends and associates.
“Bite us in the a--?” Gaetz said. “I’m incredibly proud of that.”
Greenberg was arrested the following summer and later agreed to plead guilty to six charges, including trafficking a 17-year-old girl for sex, and to cooperate with federal investigators on further inquiries. Those inquiries included the possibility that Gaetz had paid Greenberg to procure underage girls, The Post and others have reported. A Gaetz spokesman said the congressman never paid for sex and never had sex with a minor.
Toward the end of the October 2019 recording, one of the Danish filmmakers made his way toward Stone with a camera.
The discussion shifted largely to small talk such as a shared dislike of Washington. Gaetz quipped that to escape the capital, he might ask DeSantis to make him head of Florida’s juvenile justice agency, before reflecting that Trump would not permit him to leave.
“He had heard a rumor that I was maybe not gonna run for reelection, and at the Christmas party, he berated me in front of my date. Like, straight berated me,” Gaetz said.
Johnson, the emcee, who had drifted into the conversation, argued it was a “net positive” to be berated by the president in front of a date. “That’s an alpha move,” he said.
Gaetz told The Post in an email, “While I did briefly consider joining the DeSantis administration, I ultimately decided against doing so out of fidelity to serving northwest Floridians in Congress.”
During the October 2019 conversation, talk returned to Stone’s case and to his early morning arrest by the FBI at his Florida home that January. Stone and his supporters had publicly claimed to be outraged that, as a man in his 60s charged with nonviolent crimes, he was roused by heavily armed officers in a dawn raid. Because footage of Stone’s arrest was recorded by a CNN crew waiting outside, Stone alleged that investigators improperly alerted the media before his indictment was unsealed.
“My suspect for who tipped the media off on that is you. You were my first suspect,” Gaetz told Stone backstage at AMPFest.
Looks like Gaetz dodged the sex trafficking charges. I was wondering if anything would come of that...he seemed pretty confident.
Innocent people routinely seek out and solicit POTUS pardons. Happens all the time. Just another dem, commie, fascist, BLM, Antiiiiiiiiiiifa, Obama, Hillary, Gore, Brandon inspired witch hunt with corrupt DOJ and FBI investigators and AGs housed way deep in the DEEP State to make him look bad.
The good news is that he can move on to the menage a trois with Lorena Bobbit and Maggie Three Names. Gonna be some wild parties, wild, up on the Hill come November.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
This is so so rich. Matt Getts Off and Maggie Three Names deserve each other. Matty can’t even keep track of his fauxrage. And the should have referenced‘Murica’s most watched “news” network, faux news.
The story behind Gaetz citing Chinese propaganda at a hearing
In 2021, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) decried what he labeled “a fusion of the interest of the Chinese Communist Party and much of the apparatus of the United States government.”
At a hearing Tuesday, Gaetz cited, and entered into the record, an article from a newspaper which the Trump administration designated as a propaganda outlet — apparently without knowing that’s what he was doing.
The moment added some color to an otherwise relatively uncontentious hearing on oversight of U.S. funding for Ukraine. And even aside from the article’s provenance, it was a remarkable document to point to at a congressional hearing.
Gaetz, who has emerged a leading critic of the Ukraine funding, asked Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl a number of questions about potential U.S. involvement in Ukraine beyond what is publicly known.
Ultimately, he asked about a far-right military group in Ukraine: “Is the Azov Batallion getting access to U.S. weapons?”
Kahl said he wasn’t aware of such a thing, but he asked whether Gaetz had any information he could address. Gaetz then asked to enter into the record an article from the Global Times and asked if Kahl disagreed with it.
“I’m sorry, this is the Global Times from China?” Kahl asked.
Gaetz initially said no, but then checked and acknowledged, to his apparent surprise, that it was.
“As a general matter, I don’t take Beijing’s propaganda at face value,” Kahl responded.
When Gaetz pressed again and Kahl repeated that statement, Gaetz responded: “Fair enough. I would agree with that assessment.” And then he moved on.
“This designation recognizes PRC propaganda outlets as foreign missions and increases transparency relating to the CCP and PRC government’s media activities in the United States,” the State Department said.
Some media scholars have likened the Global Times to China’s Fox News. The New York Times in 2019 labeled it “a 24-hour propaganda machine” whose top editor at the time was “seen as a combative public voice of the administration of President Xi Jinping in an era of more open rivalry with the United States.”
Responding to a request for comment from The Washington Post,Gaetz spokesman Joel Valdez said, “Congressman Gaetz wanted to ask if the report was true. The panelist said it wasn’t true, and that was a good enough answer for him.” He did not address the congressman’s apparent surprise at where his source came from.
Gaetz has promoted his question-and-answer period from the hearing on Twitter, while cutting off the video before the above exchange.
The Global Times’s relationship with the Chinese government aside, there’s the substance of the particular article Gaetz cited. While he pitched it as a “Global Times investigative report,” the piece in question appears almost wholly derivative of other sources. Indeed, as evidence that the Azov Battalion got U.S. weapons, the piece cites as evidence “public information from the US government and some investigative reports by Western journalists.”
(The Azov Battalion, which has fought alongside Ukrainian soldiers against Russia on the front lines, is controversial and has been linked to recruiting extremists such as neo-Nazis. Some American politicians have pushed for designating it a foreign terrorist organization.)
The article includes a quote saying American weapons in Ukraine are “flowing directly to the extremists of Azov,” but doesn’t say where the quote came from. It appears to be from a blog post in 2018, which in turn cites various other sources. One of that post’s main sources, the Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab, said Texas-made grenade launchers wound up in the hands of the Azov Batallion around that time, but that the weapons “were reportedly used only in training exercises and likely returned to arms depots.” Another source, a 2015 Daily Beast article, didn’t reach a firm conclusion about whether Azov fighters were being trained by U.S. forces.
The Global Times article goes on to cite various experts accusing the United States of “inciting conflicts between Ukraine and Russia” and “being very much conniving with the neo-Nazi forces” in Eastern Europe.
It cites the United States and Ukraine having voted against a United Nations resolution on “combating the glorification of” Nazism and neo-Nazism. But it does not explain that this is a resolution frequently pushed by Russia, which many European countries abstain from voting on. The United States has repeatedly said the resolution calls for “unacceptable limits on the fundamental freedom of expression” and that it’s a thinly veiled political attack on Ukraine and even a pretext for Russia’s invasion.
In other words, even if you don’t know the Global Times’s background, the article itself has some real red flags.
But instead of reading it with the requisite skepticism, a member of Congress decided to ask a high-ranking U.S. government official to respond to it.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Comments
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges.
A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the ongoing federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and cooperate with authorities.
Joe Ellicott, known as “Big Joe,” was named on a federal grand jury subpoena in late December 2020 as part of a federal probe into alleged crimes “involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice.” Gaetz and several other men were also listed on that subpoena, POLITICO has previously reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the Republican congressman from Florida had paid to have sex with a 17-year-old several years ago and obstructed justice. Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously told POLITICO that he barely knows Ellicott.
Federal authorities in Orlando handled the prosecution of Ellicott, while prosecutors in Washington are responsible for the Gaetz probe. One of Ellicott’s attorneys, Joseph Zwick, said his client has not been arrested and could be sentenced as early as next week. He also said Ellicott is only loosely acquainted with Gaetz.
Ellicott agreed to plead guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of distributing a controlled substance — Adderall. In exchange, Ellicott will “cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation and prosecution of other people” and to testify against them, according to his agreement.
continues.....
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
she'll be 22 this year, if they can charge on the first link like they charged Greenberg, clock on the statute of limitations doesnt even BEGIN til she turns 24....
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
meanwhile gaetz is free to continue to do rallies and raise money.
anybody else would have been booked months ago.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
The analogy is like how Steward Rhoades was just arrested and received the most serious charges to date.
Backstage banter
Stone and Gaetz spoke bluntly as the congressman awaited his turn onstage. They discussed their mutual dislike of Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). Stone called him “such an a--hole,” and Gaetz said he was “one of my least favorite people I’ve ever had to work with.” Stone mocked the hairstyle and suits worn by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), prompting Gaetz to reply: “Anybody that can land a wife like that needs no advice from me.” Gaetz remarked that his district was so conservative that he effectively never had to campaign for reelection.
In the statement, Gaetz’s office said he stood by those comments.
The pair went on to discuss a photograph of them posing with Joel Greenberg, then the tax collector of Seminole County, Fla. Stone said the photograph had “come back to bite us in the a--.” He did not elaborate. The Orlando Sentinel had reported the previous week that Greenberg had given publicly funded contracts to friends and associates.
“Bite us in the a--?” Gaetz said. “I’m incredibly proud of that.”
Greenberg was arrested the following summer and later agreed to plead guilty to six charges, including trafficking a 17-year-old girl for sex, and to cooperate with federal investigators on further inquiries. Those inquiries included the possibility that Gaetz had paid Greenberg to procure underage girls, The Post and others have reported. A Gaetz spokesman said the congressman never paid for sex and never had sex with a minor.
Toward the end of the October 2019 recording, one of the Danish filmmakers made his way toward Stone with a camera.
The discussion shifted largely to small talk such as a shared dislike of Washington. Gaetz quipped that to escape the capital, he might ask DeSantis to make him head of Florida’s juvenile justice agency, before reflecting that Trump would not permit him to leave.
“He had heard a rumor that I was maybe not gonna run for reelection, and at the Christmas party, he berated me in front of my date. Like, straight berated me,” Gaetz said.
Johnson, the emcee, who had drifted into the conversation, argued it was a “net positive” to be berated by the president in front of a date. “That’s an alpha move,” he said.
Gaetz told The Post in an email, “While I did briefly consider joining the DeSantis administration, I ultimately decided against doing so out of fidelity to serving northwest Floridians in Congress.”
During the October 2019 conversation, talk returned to Stone’s case and to his early morning arrest by the FBI at his Florida home that January. Stone and his supporters had publicly claimed to be outraged that, as a man in his 60s charged with nonviolent crimes, he was roused by heavily armed officers in a dawn raid. Because footage of Stone’s arrest was recorded by a CNN crew waiting outside, Stone alleged that investigators improperly alerted the media before his indictment was unsealed.
“My suspect for who tipped the media off on that is you. You were my first suspect,” Gaetz told Stone backstage at AMPFest.
“Come on, Roger, it was you,” added Johnson.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” said Stone.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/07/30/roger-stone-matt-gaetz-pardon-mueller/
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
The good news is that he can move on to the menage a trois with Lorena Bobbit and Maggie Three Names. Gonna be some wild parties, wild, up on the Hill come November.
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we're 45 days out. dDOJ is back to not announcing within 60 days of an election. not sure I trust that reorting.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Still early...and source is questionable. But it does raise the question about Nestor. That ain't no adopted son.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
We'll find out in a few days I guess....interesting to see if there are more reports of this office upheaval today.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
There are no kings inside the gates of eden
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
The story behind Gaetz citing Chinese propaganda at a hearing
In 2021, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) decried what he labeled “a fusion of the interest of the Chinese Communist Party and much of the apparatus of the United States government.”
At a hearing Tuesday, Gaetz cited, and entered into the record, an article from a newspaper which the Trump administration designated as a propaganda outlet — apparently without knowing that’s what he was doing.
The moment added some color to an otherwise relatively uncontentious hearing on oversight of U.S. funding for Ukraine. And even aside from the article’s provenance, it was a remarkable document to point to at a congressional hearing.
Gaetz, who has emerged a leading critic of the Ukraine funding, asked Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl a number of questions about potential U.S. involvement in Ukraine beyond what is publicly known.
Ultimately, he asked about a far-right military group in Ukraine: “Is the Azov Batallion getting access to U.S. weapons?”
Kahl said he wasn’t aware of such a thing, but he asked whether Gaetz had any information he could address. Gaetz then asked to enter into the record an article from the Global Times and asked if Kahl disagreed with it.
“I’m sorry, this is the Global Times from China?” Kahl asked.
Gaetz initially said no, but then checked and acknowledged, to his apparent surprise, that it was.
“As a general matter, I don’t take Beijing’s propaganda at face value,” Kahl responded.
When Gaetz pressed again and Kahl repeated that statement, Gaetz responded: “Fair enough. I would agree with that assessment.” And then he moved on.
The Trump administration in 2020 designated the Global Times and three other outlets as “foreign missions” because they are “effectively controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China.”
“This designation recognizes PRC propaganda outlets as foreign missions and increases transparency relating to the CCP and PRC government’s media activities in the United States,” the State Department said.
Some media scholars have likened the Global Times to China’s Fox News. The New York Times in 2019 labeled it “a 24-hour propaganda machine” whose top editor at the time was “seen as a combative public voice of the administration of President Xi Jinping in an era of more open rivalry with the United States.”
Responding to a request for comment from The Washington Post, Gaetz spokesman Joel Valdez said, “Congressman Gaetz wanted to ask if the report was true. The panelist said it wasn’t true, and that was a good enough answer for him.” He did not address the congressman’s apparent surprise at where his source came from.
Gaetz has promoted his question-and-answer period from the hearing on Twitter, while cutting off the video before the above exchange.
The Global Times’s relationship with the Chinese government aside, there’s the substance of the particular article Gaetz cited. While he pitched it as a “Global Times investigative report,” the piece in question appears almost wholly derivative of other sources. Indeed, as evidence that the Azov Battalion got U.S. weapons, the piece cites as evidence “public information from the US government and some investigative reports by Western journalists.”
(The Azov Battalion, which has fought alongside Ukrainian soldiers against Russia on the front lines, is controversial and has been linked to recruiting extremists such as neo-Nazis. Some American politicians have pushed for designating it a foreign terrorist organization.)
The article includes a quote saying American weapons in Ukraine are “flowing directly to the extremists of Azov,” but doesn’t say where the quote came from. It appears to be from a blog post in 2018, which in turn cites various other sources. One of that post’s main sources, the Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab, said Texas-made grenade launchers wound up in the hands of the Azov Batallion around that time, but that the weapons “were reportedly used only in training exercises and likely returned to arms depots.” Another source, a 2015 Daily Beast article, didn’t reach a firm conclusion about whether Azov fighters were being trained by U.S. forces.
The Global Times article goes on to cite various experts accusing the United States of “inciting conflicts between Ukraine and Russia” and “being very much conniving with the neo-Nazi forces” in Eastern Europe.
It cites the United States and Ukraine having voted against a United Nations resolution on “combating the glorification of” Nazism and neo-Nazism. But it does not explain that this is a resolution frequently pushed by Russia, which many European countries abstain from voting on. The United States has repeatedly said the resolution calls for “unacceptable limits on the fundamental freedom of expression” and that it’s a thinly veiled political attack on Ukraine and even a pretext for Russia’s invasion.
In other words, even if you don’t know the Global Times’s background, the article itself has some real red flags.
But instead of reading it with the requisite skepticism, a member of Congress decided to ask a high-ranking U.S. government official to respond to it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/28/gaetz-hearing-global-times-china/
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Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14