SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – While his office was closed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg was at the location “practicing” how to make fake concealed weapon permits, according to federal prosecutors.
The new allegation comes as evidence continues to mount against Greenberg, who resigned in June after he was indicted on federal stalking charges.
According to the notice of intent filed Monday, Greenberg was committing criminal acts “until his last day in office.”
Prosecutors said that earlier this year when the part of the office that issues concealed permits was closed, Greenberg called one of his employees for help on how to fix the printer that produces the permits. When the employee asked why he needed to know since concealed weapons permits were not being issued at the time, Greenberg said he was just “messing” with the machine, records show.
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After Greenberg left the office, officials said pieces of the card stock paper used for concealed weapon permits were found in his office.
“Some of the cards left by Greenberg in his former office prove that Greenberg was practicing at producing identifications using concealed weapons permit cardstock and that he was experimenting in using the security stipe for concealed weapons permits in an effort to make the identifications that he was producing appear to be legitimate,” prosecutors wrote.
The document also provides further details about the stalking and identify theft-related charges Greenberg is facing.
In the stalking case, he’s accused of setting up fake social media accounts to make his political opponent come across as a white supremacist and to create rumors that the victim had raped a student at the school where he worked.
An investigation determined that the victim in the stalking case did not have any kind of sexual relationship with any of his students.
[READ MORE: Seminole County tax collector accused of stalking political opponent indicted on federal charges | Former Seminole County Tax Collector accused of making fake IDs with customers’ information]
As far as the identity theft charges, prosecutors said Greenberg had two fake driver’s licenses with his picture and the names, birth dates and identifying information from other people on them.
Both of those victims who had their information used on the fraudulent IDs said they turned their driver’s licenses in at the Seminole County Tax Collector’s Office when they obtained new licenses, records show.
Three additional driver’s licenses -- all from people who turned in their IDs at the office between December and February -- were found in Greenberg’s backpack, according to the report.
“Greenberg stole surrendered driver’s licenses on other occasions. Employees of the Seminole County Tax Collector’s Office advise that an employee observed Greenberg take surrendered licenses from the shred basket prior to them being shredded. When Greenberg was confronted about what he had done by one employee, Greenberg gave the employee an excuse that had something to do with ‘demographics,' which was a lie,” prosecutors wrote.
On June 24, an employee asked Greenberg why he had surrendered driver’s licenses in his office and Greenberg lied and said that they were the “lost and found” collection, records show.
Greenberg is also accused of using the Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database to conduct “inappropriate searches” to research potential identity theft victims.
Greenberg is facing charges of production of identification and false identification documents and aggravated identity theft.
In the federal stalking case, Greenberg has already entered a plea of not guilty. He was granted a conditional release last month.