ORLANDO, Fla. – Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking and other federal crimes, is expected to testify at the upcoming trial of an associate accused of bribery.
Michael Shirley, a consultant who Greenberg hired in 2017 to do work for the tax collector’s office, is accused of paying kickbacks to Greenberg while submitting inflated invoices to the agency.
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Shirley has pleaded not guilty to four counts of honest services fraud and one count of conspiracy. His trial is scheduled to begin on July 24.
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During a hearing Wednesday, prosecutors confirmed they plan to call Greenberg to testify against Shirley.
Shirley’s attorney informed the judge the defense will likely need significant time to cross-examine Greenberg, who pleaded guilty last year to child sex trafficking, aggravated identity theft, stalking, wire fraud, conspiracy and producing a false identification document.
As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, Greenberg agreed to cooperate with federal authorities on other criminal investigations.
Joseph Ellicott, a former tax collector office employee, is also expected to testify against Shirley.
This week, U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Presnell denied Shirley’s requests to dismiss the indictment and bar prosecutors from introducing evidence of other financial transactions between Shirley and Greenberg.
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