Friend of Florida tax collector in Gaetz case pleads guilty

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former employee in the office of a Florida tax collector whose arrest triggered an investigation into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has pleaded guilty to fraud and drug charges. Court documents showed that Joseph Ellicott pleaded guilty on Monday. Ellicott was a friend of former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg and was hired as a special projects manager in the tax collector’s office. Greenberg is currently in jail awaiting sentencing in federal court in March. Greenberg’s cooperation could play a role in an ongoing investigation into Gaetz. The Republican congressman was accused of paying a 17-year-old girl for sex. He has denied the allegations.