The current Republican candidate for DuPage County board president Gary Grasso and long-time mayor of west suburban Burr Ridge is standing up for for his town’s quasi-celebrity chef Gigi Rovito.
Grasso is describing Rovito as a stand-up guy; a solid community leader and prominent businessman. His praise comes even though federal law enforcement describes Rovito as an enforcer for an illegal gambling/extortion ring, and an Outfit operative currently free on $1 million bond.
Rovito is on home confinement in Burr Ridge and on Thursday returned to social media. On his video you can’t see the electronic bracelet adorning his ankle, but the feds are monitoring it to make sure Rovito doesn’t vamoose.
“Everybody knows him. I think he’s got a YouTube following of a quarter of a million people or something like that,” said Burr Ridge mayor Gary Grasso. “He’s been a stellar corporate and residential citizen. He also lives in Burr Ridge. So, we’re standing with Capri and Gigi now.”
Capri Ristorante is where 52-year old owner Rovito usually stages for his social media in the kitchen-and where he holds the liquor license. Rovito is licensed despite having been convicted of a long-ago drug charge and an underage sex crime at age 17. He was allowed felony rehabilitation to get the liquor license under a little-known second-chance law.
But now that Rovito is embroiled in this new felony gambling and extortion indictment, and our investigation has turned up Outfit connections in previous federal cases. Rovito’s standing tugs even at his friends, including Mayor Grasso whose favorite dish is even on the menu at Capri—Linguini alla Mayor Grasso.
The mayor says he hasn’t talked with Rovito since explosive federal charges came down a week ago.
“No, and I and that was purposeful, you know, he is represented by Council. I am the mayor, so I haven’t spoken to him,” Grasso said. “It’s a bad look for Burr Ridge. We sell a brand. And so we are concerned, I’m concerned about where this is going to go.”
Grasso, a multi-term mayor and currently running for county board president, is also an attorney who has represented Rovito on a couple of civil matters.
“ I think a car accident case I think he had on an insurance matter and I do insurance law,” he said. “But I don t think I represented him when I was mayor. I don’t think so.”
Even as he supports his friend and the Burr Ridge businessman, Grasso says he has anxiety about what could happen.
“I’m worried about the long-term effects if there’s actually any substance to this indictment. Again, its somebody said somebody did, or excuse me, somebody said, somebody said something, and according to an indictment, nothing was ever done. So I understand it. We should be a little concerned that a US attorney would file such an action based on hearsay,” he said. “He’s just somebody that right now has to be given the benefit of the doubt. And as I said before, we’re going to be cautiously optimistic that this will work out for him and work out for Burr Ridge.”
CHUCK GOUDIE: “I don’t have to tell you that some of your colleagues in elected positions elsewhere would be running for the hills. They wouldn’t necessarily be as generous as you are.
Grasso: I’ll take that as a compliment.”
