MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A formerly well-connected GOP donor was convicted Friday of enticing teenage girls with gifts, currency and wealth successful speech for sex.
A national assemblage recovered Anton “Tony” Lazzaro, 32, blameworthy of 7 counts involving “commercial enactment acts” with 5 girls ages 15 and 16 successful 2020, erstwhile helium was 30 years old. The charges transportation mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years with a maximum of beingness successful prison.
The assemblage volition instrumentality to tribunal Monday to find what spot the authorities tin prehend based connected each conviction, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
Lazzaro, who contends the charges against him were politically motivated, plans to appeal, a spokeswoman for his attorneys said successful a connection to The Associated Press.
via Associated Press
“The antithetic exertion of this national enactment trafficking statute to his activities is frighteningly broad, conflating what is thing much than arguably an enactment of prostitution with national enactment trafficking,” Stacy Bettison said. “He believes helium has beardown grounds for appeal, and helium volition vigorously question reversal of his conviction. Mr. Lazzaro trusts helium volition beryllium vindicated.”
His indictment led to the downfall of Jennifer Carnahan arsenic seat of the Republican Party of Minnesota.
His co-defendant, 21-year-old Gisela Castro Medina, who formerly led the College Republicans section astatine the University of St. Thomas, pleaded blameworthy to 2 counts past year. She testified against Lazzaro.
Prosecutors argued during the proceedings that Lazzaro enlisted Medina, who helium initially paid for sex, to enlistee different teenagers — preferably minors — who were white, small, susceptible oregon “broken.”
“He wanted sex, and not conscionable immoderate sex,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Melinda Williams said during closing arguments Friday. “He wanted enactment with insignificant girls nether the property of 18. And helium had a program to get it.”
Lazarro’s attorney, Daniel Gerdts, argued that government’s “salacious” prosecution was based connected “completely unfounded” allegations.
“The prosecution intelligibly disapproves of Mr. Lazzaro’s playboy lifestyle,” Gerdts said. “And frankly, arsenic the begetter of 3 daughters, truthful bash I. The opprobrium is good deserved, but that is not wherefore we’re here.”
Carnahan, the widow of U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, resigned a week aft the charges against Lazzaro were unsealed. She denied knowing astir Lazzaro’s crimes but his apprehension prompted outrage among enactment activists.
Pictures connected Lazzaro’s societal media accounts showed him with salient Republicans, including erstwhile President Donald Trump and erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence. He gave much than $270,000 to Republican campaigns and governmental committees implicit the years.
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