Anton “Tony” Lazzaro, a formerly well-respected donor to the Republican party, has just been arrested and accused of sex trafficking minor teenage girls.

According to initial reports, Lazzaro is being charged with seven counts of “commercial sex acts” that he performed with at least five minors. These underage girls were only 15 and 16 at the time of the incident, while Lazzaro was 30. This crime allegedly occurred in 2020.

While Lazzaro is completely denying the allegations, he is also being accused of sex trafficking teenaged girls, too. Reports say that the older man lured petite and younger girls into giving other politicians sex in exchange for cash, gifts, and liquor. Lazzaro claims that the charges against him are false and that he’s being targeted for political and monetary reasons.

Despite this, Castro Medina, his co-defendant, has already pleaded guilty to her charges in the scheme. Reports say that both Lazzaro and Castro worked and conspired together to recruit the teenagers for sex in exchange for money and gifts. Castro reportedly met Lazzaro on a “sugar daddy” website in 2020 when she was only 18 years old. While nothing is confirmed, it’s suspected that Lazzaro groomed the 18-year-old to help him sex traffic even younger women.

If convicted, then Lazzaro will spend at least 10 years in prison with the possibility of life behind bars.

Sex, Crimes, and Politics

Engaging in any type of sexual relations with a minor is a crime in every state in the U.S. Consent is impossible to obtain from a minor, so you can never use an underage person’s consent as a solid legal defense strategy against sex crimes.

Recently, sex crimes have become more and more politicized, but the truth is that the political spectrum of a person is irrelevant when they are breaking the law. No political party is above the law.

There are situations, however, in which a person is falsely accused of committing a sex crimes for political or other reasons. Sex crime allegations can destroy a person’s life, even if they never go on to get convicted of the crime. They can derail a career, leave you feeling publicly humiliated, and even impact your personal relationships, too.

With all of that in mind, you should strive to hire the best possible legal defense team that you can when you’re facing sexual-related charges. Schedule a consultation with our top attorneys now to learn more about how we can help.