司法部已经通知代表证人的律师，不会对共和党众议员提出指控。马特·盖兹在对佛罗里达州议员进行了多年的性交易调查后，多个消息来源告诉ABC新闻。
一名律师代表一度未成年的Gaetz等人的性交易调查中心告诉美国广播公司独家新闻，司法部周三通知他们，他们不会提出指控。
律师称长达数年的调查对他的当事人来说是一次“艰难的经历”。
“我们的委托人最近接到司法部的通知，他们决定不起诉此事。她理解这一决定，并感谢新闻部在这一困难时期的辛勤工作和支持。她和她的律师都不会在这个时候发表任何进一步的评论，”律师约翰·克伦在一份声明中对美国广播公司新闻说。ABC新闻拒绝透露该女子的姓名。
当新闻首次爆出盖兹因与未成年人发生性关系而受到联邦调查时，这位国会议员告诉福克斯新闻频道的塔克·卡尔森，当时处于调查中心的17岁女孩“不存在”
一位熟悉调查的消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，决定不起诉的部分原因除了必须证明盖兹与17岁的女孩发生了性关系外，还包括检察官担心陪审团不会定罪，因为很难证明盖兹和其他人知道当时未成年。
司法部的一名代表拒绝置评。
盖兹在整个调查过程中坚称自己是无辜的，并一再否认有任何不当行为。
2023年2月1日，在华盛顿特区国会山举行的美国南部边境安全听证会之前，美国众议员马特·盖兹(Matt Gaetz)在一次商业会议上发言
德鲁·安格雷尔/盖蒂图片社，档案
代表盖兹、马克·穆凯西(Marc Mukasey)和伊莎贝尔·科什纳(Isabelle Kirshner)的律师在给美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)的一份声明中证实了这一决定，称“我们刚刚与DOJ进行了交谈，并被告知他们已经结束了对议员盖兹以及与性贩运和妨碍司法有关的指控的调查，他们决定不对他提出任何指控。”
这一消息是在盖兹的前密友乔尔·格林伯格(Joel Greenberg)被绑架几周后发布的，有消息称，他同意配合联邦政府对盖兹的调查被判处11年徒刑在认罪后，包括性贩运未成年人，并介绍她给其他“成年男子”，谁也与她发生性关系时，她未成年。格林伯格同意向检察官提供“实质性协助”，作为他们正在进行的调查的一部分。
去年五月，格林伯格认罪他面临的33项联邦指控中的6项，包括跟踪，身份盗窃，电信诈骗，阴谋贿赂政府官员，以及一项性交易指控。
在给ABC新闻的一份声明中，格林伯格的律师称不起诉盖兹的决定“令人不安”
“尽管这一决定令人不安，但并不奇怪。经过这么多年的辩护实践，我慢慢地、不情愿地意识到，我们的国家有两套司法系统，”律师说。"在这样一个国度里，任何人都不能凌驾于法律之上的信条就算不算空洞，也不过是老生常谈。"
消息人士称，在对盖兹和其他人的调查过程中，格林伯格向调查人员提供了多年的Venmo和Cash应用交易以及数千张照片和视频，以及个人社交媒体账户的访问权限。
该案件在2021年春天引起了全国的关注，此前有消息称，对塞米诺尔县税务员格林伯格的调查，根据多个消息来源，爆发为一场庞大的联邦调查这包括他的密友盖兹是否与一名未成年人发生过性关系，据称他是通过格林伯格认识的。
DOJ won't charge Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe as lawyer for minor calls investigation 'difficult experience'
The Department of Justice has informed lawyers representing witnesses that it will not bring charges against Republican Rep.Matt Gaetzafter a multiple-year sex-trafficking probe into the Florida congressman, multiple sources tell ABC News.
A lawyer representing the one-time minor at the center of the sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and others told ABC News exclusively that the Justice Department informed them on Wednesday that they would not be moving forward with charges.
The attorney called the years-long investigation a "difficult experience" for his client.
"Our client was recently notified by the Department of Justice of their decision not to prosecute this matter. She understands the decision and is grateful for the Department's hard work and support during this difficult experience. Neither she nor her counsel will have any further comment at this time," attorney John Clune said in a statement to ABC News. ABC News is withholding the name of the woman.
When news first broke that Gaetz was reportedly under federal investigation for having sex with a minor, the congressman told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that the then-17-year-old at the center of the probe "doesn't exist."
A source familiar with the investigation told ABC News that part of the decision not to bring charges -- in addition to having to prove that Gaetz had sex with the 17-year-old -- included prosecutors' fears that a jury wouldn't convict due to the difficulty of proving that Gaetz and others knew that the minor was underage at the time.
A representative for the Department of Justice declined to comment.
Gaetz maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Attorneys representing Gaetz, Marc Mukasey and Isabelle Kirshner confirmed the decision in a statement to ABC News, saying, "We have just spoken with the DOJ and have been informed that they have concluded their investigation into Congressman Gaetz and allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice and they have determined not to bring any charges against him."
The news comes weeks after Gaetz's former close friend Joel Greenberg, who sources said agreed to cooperate in the federal probe into Gaetz, wassentenced to 11 years in prisonafter pleading guilty to crimes including sex trafficking of a minor and introducing her to other "adult men" who also had sex with her when she was underage. Greenberg agreed to provide "substantial assistance" to prosecutors as part of their ongoing investigation.
Last May, Greenbergpleaded guiltyto six of the 33 federal charges he was facing, including charges of stalking, identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy to bribe a public official, as well as one charge of sex trafficking.
In a statement to ABC News, Greenberg's attorney called the decision not to charge Gaetz "troubling."
"While the decision is troubling, it's not surprising. After so many years of defense practice, I have slowly and reluctantly come to the realization that our country has two systems of justice," the attorney said. "In such a realm, the tenet that no one is above the law is a mere platitude, if not an inanity."
Over the course the investigation into Gaetz and others, Greenberg provided investigators with years of Venmo and Cash App transactions and thousands of photos and videos, as well as access to personal social media accounts, sources said.
The case grabbed national attention in the spring of 2021 after news broke that the investigation into Greenberg, a Seminole County tax collector, had, according to multiple sources, erupted into asprawling federal probethat included whether Gaetz, his close friend, had had sex with a minor who he allegedly met through Greenberg.
