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St. Paul Woman Charged in Child Sex Trafficking Conspiracy
A St. Paul woman has been charged with child sex trafficking conspiracy after allegedly recruiting six minor victims to engage in commercial sex acts.
Gisela Castro Medina, 19, and co-defendant Anton Joseph Lazzaro, 30, conspired with each other and others to recruit and solicit the six minor victims to engage in commercial sex acts from May 2020 through December 2020, according to court documents.
Castro Medina made her initial appearance earlier today before Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon in U.S. District Court in Pensacola, Florida, after being arrested on August 12, 2021, in Okaloosa County, Florida.
The indictment charges Castro Medina with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, five counts of sex trafficking of minors, and one count of obstruction. Castro Medina will be transported to the District of Minnesota and will remain in custody pending further court proceedings.
Co-defendant Lazzaro will remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing, which has been rescheduled for August 24, 2021. Authorities believe there may be additional victims of the alleged conduct and are urging anyone with information to contact the FBI Minneapolis Division at 763-569-8000.
The case is a result of a joint investigation by the FBI and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension-led Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force, with assistance from the Minneapolis Police Department, the West Hennepin Public Safety Department, and the Wright County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela M. Munoz, Emily A. Polachek, and Laura M. Provinzino are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking|Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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