Sheraton GM: Closure of Aperitif in Woodbury Not Related to Fraud Investigation

The closure of had nothing to do with a fraud investigation of the ownership group and the restaurant will likely reopen at some point, according to the general manager of the .

Hotel General Manager Patrick Short said he was tasked with assisting in the . JLT Group, Inc., which is the subject of a , owns the hotel and nearby restaurant, in addition to other parcels in Woodbury.

“At this point it was decided that we’d close,” Short told Woodbury Patch on Monday morning. “We are officially closed now but I believe the goal is to reopen. I don’t believe that it is a close and sell it off kind of thing.”

He could not speak to the specifics of the FBI and IRS investigation of JLT Group, but said the closure of Aperitif “wasn’t a direct correlation.”

“It’s just bad timing more than anything,” he said.

Short alluded to the owner of JLT Group filing for bankruptcy and said the fraud investigation “really has zero to do with the restaurant.” JLT Group owner Jerry Trooien, 63, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, reporting liabilities of $284.5 million and assets of just $6.5 million, according to the Star Tribune.

A call to JLT Group was not immediately returned Monday morning and employees have not commented in the press about the investigation.

Short said his role now is to ensure that Aperitif employees will be paid. He said he is working on finding a way for people who purchased the restaurant's gift cards to redeem them. Information about gift cards will be posted soon on the Aperitif Web site, he said.

As for the Woodbury Sheraton Hotel, Short said it will remain open.

“It’s business as usual,” he said. “We have no concerns whatsoever.”