This story puts Gaetz, Roger Stone, Joel Greenburg, and hand surgeon Jason Pirozzolo together

[pnwmom]

at a pot conference, in October 2017.

The surgeon is the guy implicated in the story about Gates's Bahamas trip. Having Stone connected to this crew brings this all one step closer to Trump.

https://www.centralfloridapost.com/2017/10/05/congressman-gaetz-holding-orlando-fundraiser-roger-stone/

Immediately after Roger Stone and Congressman Matt Gaetz give the keynote speeches at a cannabis physicians conference, the duo will appear at a fundraiser for Gaetz’s congressional campaign.

Dr. Jason Pirozzolo, founder of the American Medical Marijuana Physicians Association, invited both Stone and Gaetz to attend the groups annual three day conference.

SNIP

“Congressman Gaetz is one of the few in Congress who understands that former FBI head James Comey must be charged with obstruction in the Hillary e-mail cover up. Better yet, he is the leading GOP voice on drug law reform and sensible marijuana policy.”

Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg plans on attending and also praised Gaetz.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9447651/Feds-investigate-Matt-Gaetz-trip-Bahamas-marijuana-entrepreneur.html

Federal investigators' alleged interest in Matt Gaetz' Bahamas trip was reported by CBS News on Wednesday

Sources said Gaetz took the trip to the Bahamas with marijuana entrepreneur Dr Jason Pirozzolo in late 2018 or early 2019

Pirozzolo paid for the travel expenses and female escorts, the sources said

Investigators are allegedly looking into whether the escorts were illegally trafficked across state or international lines for the purpose of sex with Gaetz

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. I have to say I think it's lame to call bringing escorts over state or international lines

for purposes of sex ... 'trafficking'.

If they're minors, okay. Fair term in that case.

But then, I fundamentally disagree with prostitution being illegal period.

The idea that you when you call someone who might be 10 miles away but over the state line to willingly come sleep with you for money, it's a federal case of 'sex trafficking' ... but if they're 5 miles away, in the same state, it's not ... is nonsense.

I have a pretty good notion that if one looked at all deeply into why this is the case ... some type racism will at least be a part of it.

[pnwmom]

2. If it's within a state, then it's pimping, and only state laws are involved.

But it seems pretty clear that Gaetz was preying on minors.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. I've seen many articles that suggest that if he hired legal-age escorts from out of state

And paid like for their travel, that could be federal sex trafficking.

Not 'pimping', just 'hiring' basically.

And I disagree with such laws, and the use of that term for that particular activity.

What's pretty clear is that he's being investigated for possibly having sex with a 17 year old, and that's about all we know about that. There's been no indication if the person was in state, out of state, paid for, not paid for, etc.

[pnwmom]

4. It would be sex trafficking of a minor if he hired a 17 year old to go in or out

of Florida, where the age of consent is 18 -- regardless of what the age is in the other state.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

6. Yes like I said if it's a minor, I agree ...

I don't if it's not a minor.

I've seen multiple articles (including the one in the OP) suggest this 'trafficking' term applies regardless:

"Sources said Gaetz took the trip to the Bahamas with marijuana entrepreneur Dr Jason Pirozzolo in late 2018 or early 2019

Pirozzolo paid for the travel expenses and female escorts, the sources said

Investigators are allegedly looking into whether the escorts were illegally trafficked across state or international lines for the purpose of sex with Gaetz"

That does not appear to be referring to the 17 year old.

This is why I brought this up.

[pnwmom]

7. Whether that person was 17 or not, the original NYT sex trafficking story

concerned a 17 year old.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/us/politics/matt-gaetz-sex-trafficking-investigation.html

Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, according to three people briefed on the matter.

Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the people said. A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value. The Justice Department regularly prosecutes such cases, and offenders often receive severe sentences.

It was not clear how Mr. Gaetz met the girl, believed to be 17 at the time of encounters about two years ago that investigators are scrutinizing, according to two of the people.

The investigation was opened in the final months of the Trump administration under Attorney General William P. Barr, the two people said. Given Mr. Gaetz’s national profile, senior Justice Department officials in Washington — including some appointed by Mr. Trump — were notified of the investigation, the people said.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

9. And I don't object to the NYT's terminology re: the 17 year old...

Just what's in the article you posted, and some other articles I've seen that suggested that hiring a non-minor escort from another state constitutes 'sex trafficking'.

That's all I'm trying to say.

Also, fcuk Matt Gaetz regardless.

[Phoenix61]

5. The federal law is called the Mann Act.

It was passed in 1910 and “made it a felony to engage in interstate or foreign commerce transport of "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose".
Gaetz, as a lawyer, knew what he was doing was illegal.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

8. I'm aware of that ... Chuck Berry went to jail for 2 years because of it.

The Congressional committees that debated the Mann Act did not believe that a girl would ever choose to be a prostitute unless she was drugged and held hostage. The law made it illegal to "transport any woman or girl" across state lines "for any immoral purpose."

In 1917, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of two married California men, Drew Caminetti and Maury Diggs, who had gone on a romantic weekend getaway with their girlfriends to Reno, Nevada, and had been arrested.

Following this decision, the Mann Act was used in all types of cases: someone was charged with violating the Mann Act for bringing a woman from one state to another in order to work as a chorus girl in a theater; wives began using the Mann Act against girls who ran off with their husbands. The law was also used for racist purposes: Jack Johnson, heavyweight champion of the world, was prosecuted for bringing a prostitute from Pittsburgh to Chicago, but the motivation for his arrest was public outrage over his marriages to white women.

Fundamentally I disagree with the premise that prostitution should be illegal period, and also with the idea that hiring a non-minor escort from another state is rightly called 'sex trafficking'. Seems a bit extreme of a term for that particular act.