Burr Ridge Mayor Says He Will Return $2,000 From Businesses Owned by Indicted Restaurateur

The mayor of Burr Ridge, Illinois, says he will return $2,000 in campaign contributions from two businesses owned by a local restaurateur facing federal gambling charges in Indiana.

Gary Grasso, a Republican candidate for DuPage County Board chairman running against Democratic incumbent Deb Conroy, told Patch on September 15, 2026 that he was returning the money after the outlet asked him about donations from Capri Ristorante and the Are We Live nightclub. Both are owned by Filippo “Gigi” Rovito.

Grasso said he had not known about the two contributions before Patch’s inquiry, but verified them. His campaign reported the donations to the Illinois State Board of Elections the day before, on September 14.

“Given the pending Indiana case, I have asked my Treasurer to return the donations,” Grasso said in an email to Patch.

Patch reported Grasso’s request to his treasurer but did not provide confirmation of a completed refund or specify how the $2,000 was divided between the businesses. Rovito did not return a message seeking comment, according to Patch.

The charges

Rovito was one of 22 defendants named in an April federal indictment over an alleged illegal sports-gambling ring in northwest Indiana, an investigation the FBI called “Operation Porterhouse Parlay.” He was charged with operating an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means.

All 22 defendants pleaded not guilty on May 14, ABC7 reported.

Patch reported on September 21 that Rovito is free on a $1 million bond and that his release conditions were relaxed earlier in September, leaving him confined to his Burr Ridge home only between midnight and 7 a.m., down from near-total home detention.

His attorney, Todd Pugh, has disputed the scope of the allegations against his client. Pugh told Patch the indictment alleges Rovito once tried to locate a bettor at a casino — an attempt the indictment concedes was unsuccessful — and once sent a single text message asking about betting numbers. It does not allege, Pugh said, that Rovito collected any money, made or threatened violence, or directed any other defendant.

A line quoted in the indictment about knocking a debtor’s “lights out” is attributed to a co-defendant, James Gerodemos, describing what Rovito allegedly said. It is not a finding against Rovito.

An earlier return

Grasso previously returned a $5,000 contribution from Rovito to his unsuccessful Illinois attorney general campaign, according to Patch. He did so after a downstate television station questioned it, reporting that Rovito had been named in FBI mafia investigations. Grasso has not explained that earlier return.

Grasso has also represented Rovito as an attorney in civil matters, and a dish at Capri Ristorante is named “Linguini alla Mayor Grasso.” Critics have accused him for years of being too close to the restaurateur.

In May, after the indictment, Grasso defended Rovito publicly, telling NBC 5 he was a “stellar corporate and residential citizen” and that “we’re standing with Capri and Gigi now.” In June he wrote a Chicago Tribune opinion piece accusing news media of unfairly linking Italian Americans to organized crime, without naming Rovito.

His statement to Patch did not announce a withdrawal of his earlier support. The reason he gave for returning the money was the pending Indiana case.