He was once a well-connected GOP donor, but now he’s been convicted of giving teen girls gifts, alcohol, and money in exchange for sex and on Wednesday, Anton “Tony” Lazzaro was sentenced to 21 years in prison on sex trafficking charges.

A federal grand jury found Lazzaro guilty in March, convicting him of seven counts of “commercial sex acts” with five girls aged 15 and 16 in 2020 March. He was 30 at the time, The Independent reports. One can consider him lucky because while each of the charges carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, the maximum sentence is life in prison.

Prosecutors were aiming for a 30-year sentence for Lazzaro. They compared him to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on federal charges that alleged he paid underage girls for massages and then abused him at his homes in Florida and New York. Lazzaro’s defense asked for no more than 10 years, but U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz came down in the middle.

Lazzaro continues to maintain that he’s innocent and claims the charges against him were politically motivated, and he plans to appeal.

“It went as expected,” defense attorney Daniel Gerdts said at the trial’s conclusion. “Looking forward to the appeal.”

And when Lazzaro was indicted in 2021 it resulted in political turmoil that ultimately led to the downfall of Jennifer Carnahan as the chair of the Republican Party in Minnesota.

Anton Lazzaro just got sentenced to 21 years in prison for running a sex trafficking operation.

Here he is in happier, simpler times with a couple of his buddies. pic.twitter.com/LNqnvGohQq

— The USA Singers (@TheUSASingers) August 9, 2023

His co-defendant, Gisela Castro Medina, who was 19 at the time, is the former leader of the College Republicans chapter at the University of St. Thomas. She pleaded guilty to two counts last year and testified against Lazzaro. She’s scheduled to be sentenced in September.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Lazzaro enlisted Medina, initially paying her for sex, and then having her recruit other teens — preferably minors, especially those who were white, small, vulnerable, or “broken.” Lazzaro regularly sent cars to take the girls to his penthouse condo at the Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis, prosecutors also say.

That is utterly awful.

Gerdts argued that the government’s “salacious” prosecution resulted from allegations that were “completely unfounded.” Lazzaro continues to deny paying for sex, saying he’s being targeted by the government for political reasons and because of wealth.

Carnahan, the widow of U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.) resigned a week after Lazzaro’s charges were unsealed. She denied knowing of any wrongdoing by Lazzaro, to begin with, and condemned his alleged crimes. But by then the damage was already done and party activists were outraged. Then came allegations that Carnahan created a toxic work environment and abused nondisclosure agreements in order to silence her critics.

🚨BREAKING-Anton Lazzaro, 32, former GOP activist from MN was just sentenced to 21 YEARS for sex trafficking 5 girls ages 15-16. Lazzaro had strong ties to the Minnesota Republican Party and praised Jeffrey Epstein. #NotADragQueen #Groomer pic.twitter.com/sZ2Tdm6hZC

— 🪴Laurie (@Laurieluvsmolly) August 9, 2023

Carnahan and Lazzaro became buddies when she ran unsuccessfully for a legislative seat in 2016. He supported her bid to become GOP chair in 2017 and attended her 2018 wedding to Hagedorn. She and Lazzaro even hosted a podcast for a few months.

Lazzaro’s social media accounts are studded with him appearing with prominent Republicans, including ex-President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. He has donated more than $270,000 to Republican campaigns and political committees over the years.

When it comes to details about where Lazzaro has gained his wealth, well that’s about as clear as mud. Defense filings have described him as “an up-and-coming real estate owner and entrepreneur.” And at least one item seized from him included a 2010 Ferrari. Also seized: more than $371,000 in cash. The government estimated his net worth in a bond report at over $2 million but added that its calculations didn’t include his “extensive” but difficult-to-trace cryptocurrency holdings. The government also noted that the search turned up multiple types of foreign currency, plus precious metals worth more than $500,000.

Influential mega donor Anton Lazarro was just sentenced to 21 years for sex trafficking minors.

The federal judge said, "It’s almost as if Mr. Lazzaro set up a sex trafficking assembly line."

Now America wants to know –
IS Anton Lazarro a Drag Queen?? pic.twitter.com/6SaPzy5Lv1

— Al​ 🅖🅓🅐🅓➊ Criswell​ (@Gdad1) August 9, 2023

So the book has been clearly thrown at this guy. It’s disgusting to me that he liked to procure such young girls, especially ones who are “broken.” Maybe Lazzaro viewed these vulnerable girls the same way he viewed his Ferrari — beautiful now but to be disposed of later on when something better comes along.

I can just imagine him, Donald Trump, and Epstein talking about this as if these girls were their latest trophies.

Sickening.