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Matt Gaetz, Republican in sex-trafficking investigation, marries in California

Republicans

Matt Gaetz, Republican in sex-trafficking investigation, marries in California

  • Florida congressman denies paying for sex with 17-year-old
  • Former Rand Paul staffer presides over surprise ceremony

Associated Press in Miami
Sun 22 Aug 2021 12.13 EDT

The Republican Florida congressman Matt Gaetz eloped to southern California on Saturday, in order to marry Ginger Luckey in a small ceremony on Catalina Island.

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The couple had said they would marry next year.

Gaetz, 39, is under investigation as part of proceedings that led to the arrest of a close friend, Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Seminole county, Florida.

Greenberg pleaded guilty in May to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a child, identity theft, stalking, wire fraud and conspiracy to bribe a public official.

His plea agreement with prosecutors requires continued cooperation with an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.

Gaetz was not mentioned in Greenberg’s plea agreement. But Greenberg’s cooperation could play a role in an ongoing investigation into Gaetz’s alleged pay-for-sex relationship with a 17-year-old girl. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Gaetz announced his wedding on his personal Twitter page, writing “I love my wife!” along with a photo, he in a sport coat, she in a white dress.

Vanity Fair reported that Sergio Gor, a former staffer for Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, performed a ceremony attended by about 40 people.

Luckey, 26, is from southern California and works for a company that focuses on extending the life of products made from plant-based materials.

Gaetz was in Iowa on Thursday with the Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, as part of a national tour in which they falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and downplay the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Source: US Politics - theguardian.com


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