Former Republican donor convicted of child sex trafficking

A formerly well-connected Republican donor was convicted on Friday of enticing teenage girls with gifts, cash and money in exchange for sex.

A federal jury found Anton Tony Lazzaro guilty of seven counts involving commercial sex acts with five girls aged 15 and 16 in 2020, when he was 30 years old.

The minimum sentences of 10 years are carried with a maximum of life in prison.

The jury will return to court on Monday to determine what property the government can take based on each conviction, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

A spokesman for his attorneys said in a statement to the Associated Press that Lazzaro, who contends the charges against him were politically motivated, plans to appeal.

The unusual application of the federal sex trafficking statute to his activities is frighteningly broad, conflating what is nothing more than an act of prostitution with federal sex trafficking, Stacy Bettison said. He believes he has strong grounds for appeal, and he will vigorously seek reversal of his conviction. He trusts that he will be vindicated. Lazzaro's indictment resulted in the downfall of Jennifer Carnahan as Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota.

His co-defendant, 21-year-old Gisela Castro Medina, who was formerly the head of the University of St Thomas's College Republican chapter, pleaded guilty last year to two counts. She testified against Lazzaro.

Prosecutors argued that Medina, who he initially paid for sex, was recruited by Lazzaro to recruit other teenagers preferably white, small, vulnerable or broken. He wanted sex, not just any sex, federal prosecutor Melinda Williams said during closing arguments on Friday. He wanted to have sex with minor girls under the age of 18. Daniel Gerdts, Lazarro's attorney, said the government's salacious prosecution was based on completely unfounded allegations.

Gerdts said that the prosecution disapproves of Mr Lazzaro's playboy lifestyle. I am a father of three daughters. The opprobrium is well deserved, but that is not why we are here. Carnahan, the widow of former Minnesota Republican Congressman Jim Hagedorn, resigned a week after the charges against Lazzaro were unveiled. She denied knowing about Lazzaro's crimes but his arrest caused outrage among party activists.

Pictures on Lazzaro's social media accounts showed him with prominent Republicans, including ex-president Donald Trump and former vice-president Mike Pence. Over the years, he gave more than $270,000 to Republican campaigns and political committees.