ORLANDO, Fla. – A former associate of ex-Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg was sentenced on Tuesday to more than 7 years in federal prison.
Michael Shirley, 40, was sentenced to seven years and three months and he must also repay Seminole County more than $536,402.
“I mean, obviously, you’re always disappointed in these types of things,” Shirley told News 6 after Tuesday’s sentencing. “As I told the judge, he had a very heavy burden he had to do. These are not easy things for anybody to do for anyone. I’ve tried to respect the process all the way through.”
Shirley was convicted last July on four counts of honest services fraud and one count of conspiracy.
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A jury found Shirley guilty of paying a $6,000 kickback to Greenberg in 2017 in exchange for a consulting contract that netted him $634,000 in taxpayer money over three years for what prosecutors said was little work. The government further accused Shirley of submitting inflated invoices to the tax collector’s office, including one with a markup of more than 90%.
Greenberg, who prosecutors said used Shirley’s bribe money to pay off an American Express credit card, is serving an 11-year sentence in federal prison for child sex trafficking and other offenses.
In court Tuesday, Shirley’s father took the stand, where he told the judge he had a good son, who helped people in their times of dire need.
Federal Judge Gregory Presnell read a letter he received from the Seminole County Board of Commissioners, which indicated Shirley’s and Greenberg’s actions have impacted taxpayers’ trust in their local government.
Commissioner Amy Lockhart was in the courtroom.
“I think the judge did an excellent job,” she told News 6 outside the courthouse. “I was really grateful that he made a specific point of mentioning that the victims here are the citizens and the taxpayers of Seminole County. I think what was shocking to me was to see the absolute lack of remorse on the part of Mr. Shirley and the disconnection from reality of the true impact that his crimes had on our entire county.”
Shirley was allowed to walk free on Tuesday on the condition he surrender to authorities within 10 days of receiving notice of which prison he will be assigned to.
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