Following the news last month that Minnesota GOP donor Anton Lazzaro has been involved in sex trafficking operations, a lawsuit has been filed by one of the victims, who he allegedly offered money to keep quiet.
The victim's attorney, Jeff Anderson, spoke with News Talk 830 WCCO's Chad Hartman about the situation and how he expects the investigation into Lazzaro's actions to widen.
"There is an extraordinarily powerful predator and political figure, and his name is Anton Lazzaro," Anderson said. "He has been engaged in an enterprise that includes child trafficking for a very long time, and how long? We do not know."
Lazzaro is currently being held in jail facing a ten count federal indictment, alleging that he paid underage girls, some as young as 15-years-old, for sex.
Anderson's client, a 16-year-old, initially spoke up about what had happened between the two last July. However, when Lazzaro's legal team caught wind of what was being said, they offered her and her family money to keep quiet about what happened.
The amount that Lazzaro offered them was $1,000.
He also threatened to sue the family for defamation with the money he offered because the girl had posted something about her interaction with Lazzaro online. This was when the family got in contact with Anderson.
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When Anderson heard what was happening, not knowing who Lazzaro was, he reported everything to the police. Since then, there has been a major sex crimes investigation involving Lazzaro's actions, Anderson said.
Still, what concerns Anderson is not knowing the extent of what Lazzaro has done and the number of children he has abused.
"The other thing that troubles me is not just the power and prestige and connections that he has had and enjoys," he said. "But the numbers of kids and teenagers that he has actually exploited."
Lazzaro has been charged in lawsuits involving at least six girls, but Anderson thinks the number could be higher.
"There are so many kids that he trafficked and exploited and abused and used, and they are now hurting," Anderson said. "Hurting real bad because he is a dangerous man."
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Anderson shared that his legal team's investigation is very active and that they will continue to work to find others he worked with and others he abused.
"I can say with certainty, there are many victims, and there's much work to do to both reach them and get to the bottom of this enterprise because there's more than Lazzaro involved," he said.
After looking into everything surrounding the case, Anderson can't help feel anything other than shock.
"I'm really concerned, and I'm really alarmed," he said.
However, he knows that what is now happening is the right path forward to bring justice for these victims.
"I'm grateful we are now exposing what we know, and we will continue to expose what needs to be known to protect kids in the future," Anderson said. "To help those that have already been hurt and make sure everything is done to make sure he and his compatriots do no further harm to any of them."
Anderson encouraged anyone who knows about Lazzaro's actions or has been affected by him to come forward and help reveal the full extent of what he has done.
