Anton Lazzaro, a Republican consultant and former Congressional campaign official from Minnesota, was arrested by federal law enforcement agents on Thursday for federal child sex trafficking, an announcement from the Department of Justice reports.
According to the charging announcement, the 30-year-old Bitcoin investor “conspired with others to recruit and solicit six minor victims to engage in commercial sex acts.” He is 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.
Lazzaro served campaign manager for GOP candidate Lacy Johnson, who lost to Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar; Johnson claims she knew nothing of Lazzaro’s alleged activities. Lazzaro also ran the Big Tent Republicans PAC, which had collected funds and donated $22,000 to GOP candidates in California, Minnesota, Michigan and New Mexico.