A prominent GOP donor was sentenced Wednesday to 21 years for crimes related to sex trafficking minors, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minneapolis.
Anton Lazzaro was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and five counts of sex trafficking of minors, according to a press release from the attorney's office.
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Data from the Federal Election Commission website show that Lazzaro donated thousands of dollars repeatedly to various conservative causes. His most recent listed donation was $1,000 to the Freedom Club PAC, which sends 100% of its donations to Republicans, according to opensecrets.org.
Before that, Lazzaro donated $5,800 to Friends of Hagedorn, a committee authorized by the late GOP Minnesota Rep. James Hagedorn, and he donated $10,000 before that to the Hagedorn Victory Fund. Lazzaro also donated $10,000 to the Republican Party of Minnesota in January 2021.
FEC data show tens of more donations from Lazzaro since 2019, and they range from as low as $35 up to $5,600.
The crimes in question took place in 2020, according to the release. The victims in the situation were between the ages of 14 and 16.
“He’s a sex trafficker,” Laura Provinzino, a prosecuting attorney in the case, said, according to the Associated Press. She said he was “one who has shown absolutely no remorse. He has accepted no responsibility for his crimes.”
“I still see him in my nightmares, in my panic attacks,” one of the victims was quoted by the Associated Press as having said in court Wednesday.
Lazzaro maintained his innocence during the trial.
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“I take a lot of offense to the government and court’s notion that I perjured myself in this trial,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
“Grooming behavior is the word you used," he added. "If that’s the case, then I suppose anyone who gives someone a gift, whether it be a cheap gift or a million dollars, is grooming their companion for sex. OK?”