Who is Anton "Tony" Lazzaro?
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota GOP donor Anton "Tony" Lazzaro" was sentenced to 21 years in prison for sex trafficking on Wednesday.
Here's everything you need to know about Lazzaro and his recent court proceedings.
Political and business ties to Minnesota
Lazzaro originally hails from California, but has made a name for himself in Minnesota politics.
Founder of the GOP PAC Big Tent Republicans, Lazzaro had close relationship with a number of Minnesota Republicans. According to the DFL, Lazzaro has given about $150,000 to state Republicans.
The Associated Press also reported that Lazzaro's social media accounts showed him with prominent Republicans, like former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, and that he had donated more than $270,000 to Republican campaigns and political committees over the years.
However, his most prominent connection was with the then chair of the Minnesota Republican party, Jennifer Carnahan.
Rep. Jim Hagedorn, Carnahan's late husband, posted a photo in 2017 on social media of him at a Vikings game with Carnahan and Lazzaro. Carnahan and Lazzaro also hosted a podcast together in 2019 and early 2020.
After news broke of Lazzaro's charges, there was cries from the public and Minnesota GOP for Carnahan's resignation. Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, was the first member of the Republican party to call for her resignation.
"MNGOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan must resign immediately. The charges against Anton Lazzaro of sex trafficking minors are deeply disturbing, disgusting, and repulsive, and Carnahan's close, ongoing relationship with him is troubling to say the least," said Chamberlain. "I find it impossible to believe she didn't know about his activities."
Minnesota RNC Committeewoman Barb Sutter also called for Carnahan to step down.
"Not only has she known him for some time, she has counted on him to donate to the party when she needed money to meet payrolls," Sutter said. "Her poor judgement of character and the resulting lack of leadership has tainted the Party, failed the victims of Lazzaro's crimes, and hampered the MN GOP's ability to be a strong force for common sense law-making in our state."
When asked whether she knew about the alleged trafficking, she said she did not.
"Absolutely not, and I think for people to make those statements is just wrong," she said.
Carnahan resigned a week after the charges against Lazzaro were unsealed, under claims of a "toxic work environment."
Charges came down in 2021
Lazzaro's name came to the forefront of reporting when he was arrested for conspiring with a St. Thomas student to recruit the sex trafficking victims from May 2020 through December 2020.
According to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lazzaro met Gisela Castro Medina in May of 2020 through the Seeking Arrangements website, which is known as a "sugar daddy" website. At the time, Lazzaro was 30 years old and Medina was a 19-year-old student at St. Thomas.
Lazzaro directed Castro Medina to identify girls she knew and others on social media who would have sex with him for money.
Lazzaro specified that he was looking for young girls of a certain skin color, petite body type, and those who were considered vulnerable, referring to them as "broken girls," said a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Medina would show Lazzaro photographs of minor girls and if Lazzaro "approved" Medina would provide the minor's contact information to Lazzaro.
For her role in recruiting young women, Medina received more than $50,000 from Lazzaro.
Brandon Brugger, an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department who works on a state human trafficking task force, testified that Lazzaro would pay 16- and 17-year-old girls -- and at least one who was 15 -- with cash, designer purses, makeup and vape pens in exchange for sex acts.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, at one point, Lazzaro sent a driver to pick up a group of 14- and 15-year-olds from a slumber party in St. Michael.
He said Lazzaro would have Ubers pick up the girls and take them to his residence in the Hotel Ivy. The investigation began after law enforcement received a tip from a victim and her parents saying that she had been trafficked, Brugger told the court.
Prosecutors said Lazzaro asked one 16-year-old victim and her father to sign a non-disparagement agreement to prevent reporting to police.
Medina was charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and aiding and abetting sex trafficking by obstruction
As part of her guilty plea, Medina admitted that in March 2021, she and Lazzaro agreed to pay off a 15-year-old victim to prevent her from talking to law enforcement about engaging in commercial sex with Lazzaro.
"He wanted sex, and not just any sex," Assistant U.S. Attorney Melinda Williams said during closing arguments. "He wanted sex with minor girls under the age of 18. And he had a plan to get it."
Trial and sentencing
Lazzaro's trial started in March 2023, nearly two years after his initial arrest.
After a 10-day trial, Lazzaro was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and five counts of sex trafficking of minors. Medina pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and one count of obstruction.
On Aug. 9, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
