Reprinted with permission from Alternet

A well-known former federal prosecutor is weighing in on the latest news about ex-Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who has pleaded guilty to seven felony counts including the sex trafficking of a minor.

Greenberg, a close friend ofRep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) who he once called his "wingman," has been awaiting sentencing. He was originally charged with 33 criminal counts, but in May entered into a plea agreement.

On Tuesday NBC News Correspondent for InvestigationsTom Winter reported Greenberg "has asked to delay his sentencing citing his ongoing cooperation with investigators, court documents say, as the probe into whether or not Gaetz had sex with an underage girl continues."

Citing Greenberg's attorney, Fritz Scheller, Winter adds that "Greenberg has been cooperating with prosecutors through a series of proffers and that cooperation won't be done before his current sentencing date of November 18th. Prosecutors and Greenberg are asking for a sentencing date in March 2022."

"Prosecutors would not agree to this if he wasn't being helpful," Winter notes.

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, now a University of Alabama Law School law professor and an MSNBC legal analyst who frequently appears on the network weighed in on the sentencing development, saying: "This is not good news for Matt Gaetz."