New details of how Minnesota GOP donor Anton Lazzaro's alleged child sex trafficking enterprise took root were revealed in a Minneapolis federal courtroom Monday as his co-conspirator pleaded guilty and is expected to testify during his March trial.
Gisela Castro Medina, 20, described Monday how she first met the 32-year-old Lazzaro through a "sugar daddy" website called Seeking Arrangement in May 2020. Medina testified that she and a minor girl received cash and alcohol for sex with Lazzaro at his Hotel Ivy condominium in Minneapolis before Medina eventually transitioned into recruiting other young girls for Lazzaro to pay for sex.
"Mr. Lazzaro wanted to have sex with younger girls to include young adults and minors, correct?" Medina's attorney, Elizabeth Duel, asked her client as they paged through the 20-page plea agreement in court.
"Yes," the soft-spoken Medina replied as she admitted to her own role in the scheme.
Medina pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and one count of obstruction associated with attempting to buy the silence of one 15-year-old victim as the FBI investigated the case.
Medina is free on supervised release as she awaits sentencing. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz noted Monday that Medina is expected to testify against Lazzaro at a trial set to start on March 20.
According to the plea agreement, Lazzaro had a preference in skin color and petite body type with no tattoos. Medina would show him pictures of girls' social media accounts, which he would approve or decline. She was instructed to tell the girls that Lazzaro was an older guy who wanted to be a sugar daddy to younger girls — while adding that he was "not creepy."
A grand jury indicted Lazzaro and Medina in August 2021. His multiple efforts to dismiss the case having failed, Lazzaro remains in custody at the Sherburne County jail in Elk River as he awaits trial on 10 counts related to trafficking minors and obstruction. His attorney Daniel Gerdts was present at the plea hearing but declined comment.