The former owner and management company of Hotel Ivy are being sued, accused of playing an “integral role” in a sex trafficking scheme that ended in the conviction of Anton 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.

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Lazzaro resided in a condo at The Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis. During his two-week trial, the minor victims testified that the 33-year-old brought them to his condo in the summer of 2020 and gave them cash, alcohol, vapes and other items in exchange for sex.

The civil lawsuit filed in federal court late Monday afternoon accuses hotel staff of failing to intervene to stop the illegal activity, despite being trained to identify signs of sex trafficking.

The lawsuit names Heartland Ivy Partners LLC and Wischermann Partners as the owner and management company at the time of the alleged conduct.

“Although the scheme Mr. Lazzaro carried out is horrendous, Plaintiff’s claims against Defendants are meritless, and they look forward to their day in Court,” said Matt McBride, an attorney representing the ownership and management groups.

Hotel Ivy’s general manager Mark Maggiotto said in a statement they are aware of the civil lawsuit, but “since the defendants in the case are former hotel owners and management company who have not been affiliated with the hotel for several years, we have no comment on the case.”

Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul-based attorney who specializes in sexual abuse cases, represents the minor victim who is suing the hotel and management company.

“They made a choice. The choice to protect their patron, their owner, and turn a blind eye, Anderson said during a press conference Tuesday.

The lawsuit relies heavily on the testimony from Lazzaro’s criminal trial, including from a woman who worked as the front office manager at The Hotel Ivy in the summer of 2020.

The manager testified that the hotel’s front desk handled visitors for the condominium residents. According to the trial testimony, the only way to access those units was to ride a private elevator summoned by the hotel staff.

According to the lawsuit, the office manager testified that she saw girls come to visit Lazzaro during her evening shift.

During her testimony, the manager said the girls who came to see Lazzaro looked around 16 or 17 years old. She also acknowledged it would be a “red flag” to see young girls coming to or leaving the hotel residences late at night.

Despite being trained to identify the signs of sex trafficking, no one spoke up said plaintiff’s attorney Molly Burke.

“No staff member intervened,” she said Tuesday. “Any intervention would have stopped this.”

The lawsuit argues there were multiple occasions where staff could have intervened. Hotel staff observed one minor victim, who testified she was so intoxicated she struggled to walk through the lobby after leaving Lazzaro’s condo.

Another victim testified at the trial that she told staff at the front desk that Lazzaro was offering girls cash and other items in exchange for sex. She also asked for help getting her sister to leave Lazzaro’s condo and was told by staff they couldn’t do anything.

In 2018, Minnesota passed a law requiring hotel and motel staff receive training on sex trafficking awareness. However, the statute does not require staff to report suspected activity to law enforcement.

“If you’re going to require them to be trained, you got to require them to do something about it,” Anderson said. “What good is training if it doesn’t mandate some kind of action?”

Alison Feigh with Zero Abuse Project agrees.

“Training is one important piece of the puzzle to prevent, but it doesn’t help when those who are trained don’t act on behalf of kids,” Feigh said Tuesday during the press conference.

In addition to holding the former owners and management company accountable, Anderson said this lawsuit should also serve as a warning to the hospitality industry.

For 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS complete coverage on the Tony Lazzaro case, CLICK HERE.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the lawsuit is against the hotel’s former ownership and management company. The current owners are not named in the lawsuit.