Tarantula-tossing candidate for Hennepin County Board responds to questions about whether she worked as an escort

Hennepin County Board candidate Marisa Simonetti said Thursday that none of the things that have recently landed her in headlines, including tossing a live tarantula at a tenant and allegations of fraud, are in conflict with her campaign themes of family values and being tough on crime.

“Life is messy. Nobody is perfect,” Simonetti said in an interview with the Star Tribune. The Edina resident is continuing her run for the District 6 seat on the County Board while embracing her newfound notoriety, calling herself “tarantula tosser” in messages to supporters.

Simonetti’s comments came a day after she was publicly questioned about whether she had worked as an escort. She declined to respond directly to questions about those allegations Thursday. Instead, she said: “People will have questions about that,” Simonetti said. “It sure beats swiping on Tinder endlessly and having my time wasted by guys who want a free fun time. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong and nothing to be ashamed of.”

She declined to elaborate, and referred to a statement she distributed Wednesday after she was asked about whether she worked as an escort. In it, Simonetti says that at some point she fled domestic violence.

“You can’t just ‘leave’,” the statement said. “I made a plan to protect my son and I executed and now hold considerable wealth. I refuse to accept any narrative that shames or blames women for the autonomy they have over their own bodies.”

Simonetti acknowledged she had an account on OnlyFans, a subscription-based platform primarily used by people who create erotic content and share it with subscribers for a fee.

Simonetti drew national attention this week after Edina police arrested her June 21 on suspicion of fifth-degree assault stemming from an altercation with a tenant subletting part of her home. Simonetti said she felt threatened because the tenant refused to leave and was complaining about a spider infestation in the home.

Simonetti said she bought the tarantula as a joke and tossed it down the stairs. Video of the incident posted on social media shows the tarantula was among an assortment of tacks and toys Simonetti threw while yelling.

“I’m an over-the-top kind of person in many ways,” she said. Describing the dispute, Simonetti said she “assessed the options in front of me” and decided that was the best way to get the tenant to leave.

Simonetti’s tenant, Jacklyn Vasquez, told the Star Tribune earlier this week that she was not physically harmed but has been “emotionally and mentally” injured by a situation that was “right out of a scary movie.”

Simonetti rents the home where the dispute took place; she said she was “late to the game” in learning that Edina prohibits short-term subleases like the one she had with her tenant.

“That was all the police cared about,” she said. “I’m not the only person in this area doing things like that.”

Simonetti, 30, is running for the District 6 seat on the Hennepin County Board on a campaign slogan of “rebuilding safety through family values.” She doesn’t think her recent or past behavior is in conflict with those values.

“The personal stuff is separate,” Simonetti said. “At the end of the day, we [have] to evaluate people on ‘What are the current issues the county needs addressed?’ and ‘Does this person possess the fortitude to have a backbone to handle these issues?’”

The Hennepin County Board oversees the second-largest government in Minnesota with a $2.7 billion budget and 10,000 employees. Commissioners earn $122,225 annually.

Simonetti’s past includes more than salacious details. She has repeatedly been accused of fraud.

She leads the Simonetti Real Estate Team, but describes herself as businesswoman who owns rental property. Her real estate license was revoked by the Minnesota Department of Commerce in 2016 for “fraudulent, deceptive and dishonest practices.”

The department’s enforcement division found that Simonetti told a homeowner she would buy her property, but only intended to list the home on the MLS. After an investigation, Simonetti’s license was revoked, she was barred for seven years, and she had to pay a $1,500 fine.

Simonetti said she forgot to provide a client with a “business card” that described her as a ‘real estate wholesaler.’ She said the commerce department “stuck it to me.”

“This was almost a decade ago now,” she said. “This is what these government agencies do. Once they find someone, they have unlimited taxpayer funds to just ransack.”

Simonetti was also accused of trying to access bank accounts and use the credit cards of Marko Kamel, whom she was briefly engaged to marry, even though Kamel was already married at the time. In a 2023 civil suit, Kamel said he purchased a $57,000 engagement ring for Simonetti and a $919,000 Edina townhome for the couple to live in.

Simonetti quickly shut Kamel out of the home, and he sued in order to sell the property and get the engagement ring back.

Simonetti said the two were in a “financial-based” relationship and that Kamel allowed her to use his accounts and credit cards for whatever she wanted.

“That’s the kind of relationship I enjoy. I’m a feminine woman. I expect, if I’m with a partner, that they take care of me,” Simonetti said. “As soon as the relationship soured, he goes crying to the police.”

Kamel, the primary dentist at Woodbury Dental Arts, had his license indefinitely suspended after reports of “demonstrated incompetence.” He abandoned patients without installing the dental implants they purchased and in March filed for bankruptcy for his business, the Minnesota Implant Center.

Kamel could not be reached for comment.

Simonetti received the second-most votes in a nonpartisan, six-candidate special primary April 30 for the District 6 board seat. Former state Rep. Heather Edelson, a DFLer, won the May 14 special election for the post.

The County Board seat is back on the ballot in November, when Edelson will again face Simonetti, who is a Republican.

On Monday, Edelson said she was aware of Simonetti’s recent arrest and that she was focused “solely on doing the work needed for the residents of District 6.”

District 6 has 66 precincts and includes the west metro communities of Edina, Hopkins, Mound, Minnetonka, Wayzata, Long Lake and Shorewood.

Staff reporters Paul Walsh and Matt McKinney contributed to this story.