The U.S. Supreme Court won’t review the sex-trafficking conviction of a former Minnesota Republican consultant and donor.
In a brief order Monday, the court turned back a petition by Anton “Tony” Lazzaro to take a fresh look at his 2023 conviction. Lazzaro is serving a 21-year prison sentence for luring teenage girls to his Minneapolis penthouse apartment with gifts, alcohol and money.
He lost at the U.S. Court of Appeals level earlier this year. Judges on that panel rejected his contention that he was charged under laws that were constitutionally vague and that there were flaws in his trial.
Lazzaro was a prominent donor and had connections to leading Minnesota Republicans before his arrest. Those party leaders denied knowledge of his criminal activity.
The conviction involves abuse of multiple teenage girls under the age of 18. He and an accomplice arranged to have the girls join Lazzaro at his high-rise apartment and supplied them with inducements that included expensive purses, phones, cosmetics and vape pens.
In August, Lazzaro filed a separate motion in federal court seeking a new trial, arguing there was juror misconduct that led to political bias against him. His lawyer cited social media posts by a juror that were critical of President Donald Trump and those who were seen as a “follower” of him.
“There were many references specifically to Trump at trial, especially relating to the photograph of Trump posing with Lazzaro on Lazzaro’s condominium wall,” the motion for a new trial reads in part.
In a response filing made this week, federal prosecutors said Lazzaro’s attorneys didn’t seek to question prospective jurors about their political views during jury selection. They said he can’t lean on that now. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also said the social media posts in question came after the trial. Even then, they said the posts don’t show specific bias toward Lazzaro.
“The defendant should not be allowed to challenge the jury’s verdict almost two-and-a-half years later based on a juror’s views that he made absolutely no effort to explore when he had the opportunity,” the prosecutors wrote.
A decision on the motion for a new trial is pending.
