Minnesota GOP donor charged with sex trafficking minors 'offered $1,000 hush money to silence the family of underage girl victim', lawsuit claims
A wealthy GOP donor charged with sex trafficking minors allegedly offered $1,000 hush money to silence the family of one of his underage victims, according to a new lawsuit.
Anton 'Tony' Lazzaro, 30, is accused of being the 'sexual ringmaster' of a sex trafficking enterprise which recruited the 16-year-old girl and then tried to 'coerce' her parents into signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in exchange for the payment.
The teen and her parents filed the federal civil lawsuit Tuesday in US District Court alleging Lazzaro used his 'power, wealth, influence, connections, and resources to recruit children as part of a predatory enterprise of perversion wherein he used whatever means he could to gain their trust so that he could prey on them.'
'When it became clear that Lazzaro had committed serious crimes, he attempted to coerce his victims and their families into keeping silent,' the suit claims.
His alleged accomplice Gisela Castro Medina, 19, is also mentioned in the suit.
Lazzaro was charged in August with five counts of sex trafficking of minors, one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and three counts of obstruction.
Medina, a St. Thomas University student and the former chairwoman of the school's Republican party chapter, was also arrested and charged with recruiting girls for him to sexually exploit.
Lazzaro has denied all of the allegations. His attorney claims the GOP strategist, who posted pictures online with Donald Trump and showing off a private jet, is being falsely accused and did not commit the crimes he's charged with.
A wealthy GOP donor charged with sex trafficking minors allegedly offered $1,000 hush money to silence the family of one of his underage victims, according to a new lawsuit. Anton 'Tony' Lazzaro pictured
Anton 'Tony' Lazzaro, 30, is pictured with Donald Trump in a photo posted on the GOP strategist's personal accounts
The lawsuit claims Lazzaro and Medina targeted young women or girls on social media and introduced them to Lazzaro to be used for sex in exchange for money and gifts.
It claims the alleged co-conspirators first met through 'sugar baby' website Seeking Arrangement.
The suit says that in 2018, when the girl was about 14, she and Medina, then 16, became friends on social media.
In May 2020, when the girl was 16, Medina allegedly recruited her to meet Lazzaro and began grooming her, explaining that he was a powerful, prominent and wealthy businessman and political figure.
Between May and July 2020, Lazzaro arranged for cars to bring the girl to his home on several occasions, and he committed 'multiple commercial sex acts' against her, the lawsuit says.
After months of repeated sex trafficking of the girl, Lazzaro attempted to coerce her to be silent.
According to the lawsuit, Lazzaro's attorneys called the girl's father in July 2020 and offered the family hush money and an NDA.
The attorney allegedly suggested that the girl was aggressively seeking to defame Lazzaro and Medina on social media.
The proposed NDA said Lazzaro and the girl had 'a consensual interaction in the recent past,' the lawsuit says.
It offered the family $1,000 in exchange for the girl and her parents to agree not to publicly disparage Lazzaro or Medina.
Lazzaro is accused in the suit of being the 'sexual ringmaster' of a sex trafficking enterprise including alleged accomplice Gisela Castro Medina, 19 (seen in mug)
A photo posted to Instagram shows alleged accomplices Medina and Lazzaro together at an event in May
It also demanded that they 'not disclose the nature of the prior interaction with Mr. Lazarro to the public' so he could continue his sex trafficking enterprise, the lawsuit says.
The girl's father refused and instead went to law enforcement.
The suit alleges the girl was one of a number of girls aged under 18 who were targeted for sex trafficking.
The girl and her parents are only named as Father Doe 1, Mother Doe 1 and Minor Doe 1 in the suit.
The suit says the sexual abuse has caused the alleged victim to suffer pain, emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, sexual confusion and other issues.
It seeks unspecified damages.
Lazzaro was arrested in August and indicted on charges of recruiting and soliciting six people under the age of 18 to engage in commercial sex acts between May and December of 2020.
According to investigators, Lazzaro conspired with another person.
Lazzaro pictured with Mike Pence. Lazzaro's attorney claims the GOP strategist is being falsely accused and did not commit the crimes he's charged with
Lazzaro posted photos of himself sitting on private jets, waving large sums of cash, and driving shirtless in a Ferrari online
Hours later, Medina was taken into custody in Florida and slapped with the same charges.
Authorities have said they believe there may be more victims.
Officials raided Lazzaro's luxury downtown Minneapolis condo last December seeking evidence regarding a person he brought into his residence.
Under the search warrant they obtained Lazzaro's bank records and video surveillance footage from the building a week before the raid.
At the time of the raid the Republican strategist claimed that 'someone made a false accusation against me'.
Lazzaro has powerful connections within the Republican party, particularly in Minnesota.
Pictures on his Facebook and Twitter accounts show him with prominent party leaders nationwide, including former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
In 2020, Lazarro served as the campaign manager for GOP candidate Lacy Johnson during her unsuccessful bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Medina (in a photo posted on social media) was taken into custody in Florida hours after Lazzaro last month
He is also close friends with the embattled leader of the Minnesota Republican Party, Jennifer Carnahan.
News of the charges against Lazzaro increased calls for her to resign from her post, which she did after initially resisting.
She has said she had no knowledge of the allegations against Lazzaro.
Lazarro's political action committee has funneled over $22,000 to political entities in California, Minnesota, Michigan and New Mexico.
He has categorized himself as a 'next-generation Republican' who has 'more modernized views' and claims his PAC is looking to 'redefine the Republican Party specifically to minority, LGBT, and women' who have been neglected by the party.
On his social media accounts, he posted photos of himself sitting on private jets, waving large sums of cash, and driving shirtless in a Ferrari.
