ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A former Florida tax collector already facing charges of stalking a political opponent and sex trafficking of a minor has been ordered to remain in jail after his latest arrest for a bond violation.
U.S. Magistrate Embry Kidd ruled Wednesday that former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg violated his nightly curfew on Sunday when he left central Florida and was later stopped by police in Jupiter during an unspecified incident, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Greenberg was arrested at his home in Lake Mary by U.S. Marshals and Seminole sheriff’s deputies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg told Kidd that an ankle monitor showed Greenberg left home around 5 a.m. Sunday. He was under order not to leave the court’s middle district of Florida, which includes Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers.
Greenberg’s attorney Fritz Scheller told the court his client had gone to South Florida to visit family. Later he gave reporters few details about the incident involving Jupiter Police officers, and called the arrest “a technical violation.”
Scheller said the curfew restrictions have taken a toll on Greenberg, the newspaper reported. The curfew “sounds really easy. But it’s not,” Scheller said.
Greenberg resigned June 25, the day after his first arrest. He was released on bond following that arrest, but was required to wear an ankle monitor while awaiting trial on 14 federal charges.
Kidd said Greenberg could request a court hearing to decide whether he can be re-released.
Last Friday, Scheller had asked a federal judge to modify the conditions of Greenberg’s released. It’s unclear why Greenberg wanted the restrictions lessened because his attorney asked the judge to keep the reason for the request confidential. Court records show that federal prosecutors did not oppose the request.
On Wednesday, Scheller did not provide any details about that request, saying it’s confidential.
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