A second victim is suing the former owner and management company of Hotel Ivy, arguing it played a role in a sex trafficking scheme that victimized multiple teenage girls and ended in the conviction of Anton “Tony” Lazzaro.
The man federal prosecutors dubbed “Minnesota’s Jeffrey Epstein” was convicted of sex trafficking of minors in 2023. He’s currently serving a 21-year prison sentence.
Lazzaro resided in a condo at The Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis. During his two-week trial, the minor victims testified that he brought them to his condo in the summer of 2020 and gave them cash, alcohol, vapes and other items in exchange for sex.
Heartland Ivy Partners, LLC and Wischermann Partners are named as the owner and management company of Hotel Ivy at the time of the alleged conduct. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court on Wedesnday, accused the companies of not responding to “obvious signs” of sex trafficking of teenage girls by Lazzaro.
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The lawsuit goes on to say the defendants did not exercise “reasonable care” with regard to hiring and training employees. Minnesota law requires hotel and motel employees to be trained to recognize signs of sex trafficking.
The attorney who represents Heartland Ivy Partners LLC, Patrick Kelly, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, “The person responsible for the harm to the Plaintiffs is Anton Lazzaro, who has been convicted of these crimes and is presently serving his sentence in federal prison. We will be defending these lawsuits and will have no further comment.”
This is the second lawsuit against Heartland Ivy Partners LLC related to the Lazzaro sex trafficking scheme. In December, another one of Lazzaro’s victims filed a similar lawsuit.
RELATED: Minneapolis hotel sued over alleged role in sex trafficking scheme involving Anton Lazzaro
In the newest lawsuit, attorneys for the victim say that hotel staff had numerous opportunities to intervene, adding that the victims would show up in groups in the middle of the night, which is an “obvious” sign of sex trafficking.
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The front office manager testified during Lazzaro’s criminal trial that the girls who came to the hotel looked about 16 or 17 years old, according to the lawsuit.
Jeffrey Montpetit, the attorney representing the unnamed victim, said the case is based on a federal statute that says anyone who benefits financially from sex trafficking can be found liable.
“It really opens up the window of opportunity to hold wrongdoers responsible,” Montpetit said Wednesday.
CHICAGO (WLS) — A United Airlines flight that left Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Friday was diverted due to an unruly passenger, officials said.
United flight 2005 from Chicago was headed to Minneapolis but landed in Madison, Wisconsin.
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“United flight 2005 from Chicago to Minneapolis landed safely in Madison, Wisconsin to address a security concern with an unruly passenger,” the airline said in a statement. “The flight is expected to continue to Minneapolis later on Friday.”
An ICE agent facing several assault charges in connection with a January shooting involving two Venezuelan people in Minnesota has been arrested in Texas, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.
Christian Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
CNN is working to determine whether Castro has an attorney and has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Castro faces those charges in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man shot in the leg through the front door of a Minneapolis home. The incident took place during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement blitz in the Twin Cities.
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Originally, Sosa-Celis and his cousin Alfredo A. Aljorna were facing federal charges after DHS said they had attacked an agent, prompting him to fire a defensive shot.
But the Justice Department dropped the charges in February, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement said two of its agents, who made false statements about the incident under oath, were placed on administrative leave.
FOX 9’s Erika Mrazik has your Thursday evening and extended forecast. Our temperatures continue to feel more like July than May, and we’ll continue to see plenty of sun.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities starting Friday.
Air quality alert in Twin Cities
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What we know:
MPCA says that ground-level ozone will be at unhealthy levels in the Twin Cities on Friday. An air quality will be in place from noon to 9 p.m.
An air quality alert in the Twin Cities. Graphic courtesy of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (Supplied)
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Sunny skies, low humidity and warm temperatures make for favorable conditions pollutants to react with sunlight to make ground-level ozone. MPCA says the ozone will subside as the sun sets.
Who is most affected by poor air quality?
Dig deeper:
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People with asthma or other breathing conditions like COPD, chronic bronchitis and emphysema will be affected by poor quality. They can experience symptoms like difficulty deep breathing, shortness of breath, throat soreness, wheezing, coughing and unusual fatigue.
Additionally, children, teenagers and people of all ages who are doing heavy physical activity outside.
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What you can do:
MPCA recommends taking it easy while outside and limiting physical activity.
To help reduce pollution, use public transit or carpool when possible, fill up your car’s tank at dawn or dusk and avoid backyard fires.
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The Source: A press release from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
