The indictment of Anton Lazzaro by a federal grand jury on child sex trafficking charges lends some fuel to Bluestem Prairie's years-long fascination with the Freedom Club.
At the Star Tribune, Paul Walsh reported on Thursday Feds allege Minneapolis GOP strategist trafficked minors for sex>
But his efforts didn't stop with the Republican Party of Minnesota. Lazzaro also contributed $29,900 to the Freedom Club State PAC between 2018 and 2020 (or $30,000 according a press release from the Minnesota DFL). These gifts place Lazzaro within a special circle of conservative Minnesota.
From the contributor database of the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board:
|
Lazzaro, Anton
|
90274
|
$15,000.00
|
8/23/2018
|
2018
|
No
|
|
|
|
Lazzaro, Anton
|
90274
|
$10,000.00
|
10/16/2018
|
2018
|
No
|
|
|
|
Lazzaro, Anton
|
90274
|
$1,000.00
|
7/18/2019
|
2019
|
No
|
|
|
|
Lazzaro, Anton
|
90274
|
$3,000.00
|
9/4/2020
|
2020
|
No
|
Lazzaro also contributed $5,000 to Minnesotans for Bold Reform in 2018:
|
Lazzaro, Anton
|
55401
|
$5,000.00
|
7/7/2018
|
2018
|
No
|
|
In Minnesota's Anti-Muslim Propaganda Mill, a report created for ISAIAH, Logan Carroll noted the connections between the Freedom Club, Alpha News, and Minnesotans for Bold Reform. In 2015, Michael Brodkorb first reported in a blog at the Star Tribune on the connections between Alpha News and Freedom Club personnel and funders in The mysterious launch of Alpha News and two other posts in April and November 2015.
Lazzaro contributed two oped pieces to Alpha News: Lacy Johnson is the best candidate to take on Ilhan Omar and Counterpoint: Jennifer Carnahan is the best thing to happen to the MN GOP.
In a widely shared tweet, Alpha News writer and videographer Rebecca Brannon tweeted about her efforts to report on some of Lazzaro's activities. The thread begins:
THREAD 🧵
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) August 12, 2021
1/12 #MNGOP
Before Anton Lazzaro became involved heavily in MNGOP politics, I met him on a dating website early 2016. We hit it off because we seemed to share the same political views - he saw my photos from the RNC & he had photos with national political figures.
In the twelve tweet thread, she notes:
Trump won & newcomer Jennifer Carnahan won election for MNGOP Party Chair. Anton was suddenly on scene locally for her campaign completely funding her & has been her BIGGEST supporter since. Her position as chair opened up doors to him that lead to things like...
...him being campaign manager for Lacy Johnson - which activists all know was a big money making grift for the consultants. Several months ago, I was working on an investigative piece on MNGOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan to submit to Alpha News....
I learned a lot of disturbing and upsetting details of corruption, alleged money fraud etc. surrounding the MNGOP chairwoman, including those closest around her. This is when I learned Anton Lazzaro was producing porn in his downtown condo, The Ivy.
Small world.
At Alpha News, Anthony Gockowski reports in Minnesota GOP chair faces calls to resign after friend and donor arrested for sex trafficking:
Many Republican candidates and causes announced throughout the day Friday that they planned to donate the money they received from Lazzaro to charity, including Minnesota Sen. Karin Housley, U.S. Reps. Tom Emmer and Jim Hagedorn, Doug Wardlow, Kendall Qualls, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, Freedom Club, and others.
The Statement Regarding Anton Lazzaro | Freedom Club:
“The Freedom Club Executive Board was disturbed and shocked to learn of the allegations against Anton Lazzaro.
Freedom Club Executive Board unanimously voted to donate to the Salvation Army for their campaign to end human trafficking in the same amount that Anton Lazzaro has contributed to the Freedom Club.
We pray for justice and an end to all human trafficking locally and around the world.”
Treasurer Richard Morgan
Richard.Morgan@lewisbrisbois.com
Read the Salvation Army's positional statement on human trafficking.
DFL Chair Ken Martin issued the following statement:
“The crimes that Republican strategist and donor Anton Lazzaro was indicted and arrested for are absolutely horrifying. It is also extremely disturbing that a man arrested for sexually trafficking six minors has such deep ties to so many Minnesota Republican officials, candidates, and organizations, particularly Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan and her husband, Congressman Jim Hagedorn.
“Carnahan, who also invited Lazzaro to co-host the Minnesota Republican Party podcast, must denounce Lazzaro immediately. However, it is not enough for Carnahan and other Minnesota Republicans to just denounce and disavow Lazzaro after collectively accepting over $150,000 from him. As such, I am calling on each and every elected official, candidate, and organization that received a cent from this predator to donate those funds to an anti-trafficking organization.”
The Freedom Club and others agreed.
But yet another Minnesota Republican had been arrested in related charges. At the Star Tribune, Rochelle Olson reported in St. Thomas GOP chair arrested in Florida on sex trafficking allegation:
The 19-year-old chair of the University of St. Thomas College Republicans has been arrested in Florida on allegations she aided a prominent state GOP activist in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex, according to a news release and jail records.
On Saturday, the Minnesota College Republicans issued a news release saying Gisela Castro Medina was arrested, along with Anton "Tony" Lazzaro, 30, on suspicion of "obstruction of justice, sex trafficking, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of underage victims."
Lazzaro was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, five counts of sex trafficking of minors, one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, and three counts of obstruction of justice, the U.S. Attorney announced last week.
A second person was listed on Lazzaro's indictment, but that name was redacted. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment. . . .
Goodness gracious. Such company. Continue reading at the Star Tribune.
We'll continue to follow the fortunes of the RPM, Freedom Club State PAC and their fellow travelers.
Screengrab: Via Twitter, a much shared June 25, 2020 image from Lazzaro's publicly accessible Instagram account. Could Minnesota Republican activists only see the cash?
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What a gigantic and horrid story!
But where’s the info about that pic of what I presume is Anton Lazzaro in Viking briefs, brandishing stacks of currency? Who captured it, and what are we to make of it?
Editor's note: Check the credit at the bottom of the post. There are links in the post above to the screengrab Twitter account from which I grabbed it, and to Lazzaro's own Instagram account, which is open to the public. Here's the text of the caption: "Screengrab: Via Twitter, a much shared June 25, 2020 image from Lazzaro's publicly accessible Instagram account. Could Minnesota Republican activists only see the cash? "
Posted by: Maria Jette | Aug 15, 2021 at 01:19 AM