A witness can corroborate the claim that Rep. Matt Gaetz was told he had sex with a minor in 2017 according to Daily Beast report

A witness has confirmed to federal prosecutors that Rep. Matt Gaetz was informed in 2017 that he had sex with a minor, sources told The Daily Beast.

In a letter obtained by The Daily Beast in April of last year, Gaetz's associate Joel Greenberg said he discovered a girl he and the congressman had engaged in "sexual activities" with was 17 at the time. 

"Immediately I called the congressman and warned him to stay clear of this person and informed him she was underage," Greenberg wrote, according to the outlet. He added Gaetz was "equally shocked and disturbed by this revelation" and that "there was no further contact with this individual until after her 18th birthday."

According to The Daily Beast, someone else was in the room when Greenberg called Gaetz to convey that information: Joe Ellicott, Greenberg's close friend and a former employee at the Seminole County tax office. Both men are now cooperating with federal investigators in the sex crimes probe into Gaetz.

Ellicott's decision to cooperate is likely bad news for the embattled Florida congressman, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection to the sex-trafficking probe.

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"After nearly a year of false rumors, not a shred of evidence has implicated Congressman Gaetz in wrongdoing," his chief of staff told News on Wednesday. "We remain focused on our work representing Floridians."

Among other things, Ellicott and Greenberg reportedly exchanged text messages via the encrypted messaging app Signal, in which Ellicott disclosed that a woman they both were associated with "knew [the minor] was underage the whole time, had sex with her, and they both went to see other guys." 

Greenberg pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in May and agreed to cooperate with fully with the government on other investigations. Ellicott agreed to cooperate this week and will plead guilty to two federal crimes in a separate case from the Gaetz investigation, The Washington Post reported.

An attorney for Ellicott declined to comment on Wednesday's developments. A spokesperson for Gaetz and a lawyer representing Greenberg did not immediately respond to requests for comment.