MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Thomas University student accused along with a prominent Minnesota GOP donor of child sex trafficking has pleaded not guilty to numerous charges in federal court.
Gisela Castro Medina, the former chairwoman of the Minnesota college’s Republican Party chapter, made her initial appearance virtually before U.S. Magistrate Judge Becky Thorson. Thorson agreed to a request by lawyers on both sides that allows Medina to await trial at a halfway house.
Court documents allege that Medina and Republican operative Anton Lazzaro conspired to recruit and solicit six people under the age of 18 to engage in commercial sex between May and December of 2020. Lazzaro has also pleaded not guilty.
