Gisala Castro Medina
MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO) – The former chair of the University of St. Thomas Republicans is pleading guilty for her role in a child sex trafficking conspiracy in 2020.
According to federal prosecutors, 20-year-old Gisela Castro Medina admitted that she and Anton Lazzaro, 32, recruited and solicited six minor victims to engage in commercial sex with Lazarro from May through Dec. of 2020.
Castro Medina met Lazarro through a website called Seeking Arrangements. Lazarro invited Castro Medina and a minor who was with her to his condo at Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis.
Before they got to Lazarro’s condo, Castro Medina told him the victim was only 16. Lazarro allegedly gave Castro Medina and the victim alcohol and $600 cash. The relationship would continue, with Castro Medina splitting the cash with the victim.
According to court documents, Castro Median continued communicating with Lazarro through Snapchat, WhatsApp, and eventually Signal because their messages would be encrypted and easy to delete. In exchange for her finding victims, Lazarro gave Castro Median cash, paid for her rent and college tuition, and other forms of compensation.
Castro Medina agreed to continue to find more underaged victims for Lazarro and would send him pictures of the victims. Castro Median told the victims that Lazarro had a lot of money and wanted to be their “sugar daddy.”
If Lazarro approved of the victim, Castro Medina would give the victim his information and he would give the victims cash, hotel rooms, vaping cartridges, food, and other items in exchange for sex.
Search warrants were executed in December of 2020 and afterward Lazarro and Castro Medina tried to figure out which victim went to law enforcement.
Lazarro admitted that in March of 2021, he and Castro Medina picked up a 15-year-old victim from her workplace, drove her around, and offered her different forms of payment not to talk.
Castro Medina’s sentencing hearing will be held after Lazzaro’s trial, which is set for spring.
Lazarro is a well-known Republican donor and his indictment led to the resignation of Minnesota Republican Party Chair Jennifer Carnahan.
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