A formerly well-connected Republican donor, accused of plying petite, vulnerable teenage girls with cash, liquor and gifts, goes on trial Tuesday on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. Anton “Tony” Lazzaro is charged with seven counts involving “commercial sex acts" with five minors ages 15 and 16 in 2020, when he was 30 years old. "The unusual application of the federal sex trafficking statute to the facts in Mr. Lazzaro’s case supports his beliefs. She denied knowing of any wrongdoing by Lazzaro before the charges were unsealed in August 2021, and she condemned his alleged crimes. Pictures on Lazzaro's social media accounts showed him with prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Source: The Herald March 19, 2023 20:06 UTC