Burr Ridge Mayor: Media Unfair To Italian Americans

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge's mayor on Friday accused the media of unfairly linking Italian Americans to the mob. And he said it needs to stop.

He wrote an op-ed in Friday's Chicago Tribune.

His piece comes more than a month after Burr Ridge restaurant owner Filippo "Gigi" Rovito was arrested on felony charges in connection with an alleged gambling ring.

In its headlines, Chicago's NBC affiliate tied Rovito to the Outfit, a Chicago-based organized crime syndicate.

And the Tribune contended Burr Ridge has had its share of "mobbed-up denizens" over the years.

Grasso has represented Rovito in civil cases, but not in the new criminal matter. A plate at Rovito's Capri Ristorante is named after the mayor.

In his Tribune column, Grasso did not mention Rovito. But he appeared to be referring to the case's media coverage. Both men are Italian Americans.

"I've sadly watched some members of the Chicago news media stigmatize Italian Americans as Outfit members or mafia operatives whenever it serves to embellish a story," Grasso said. "The Outfit still sells – pathetically. It’s time that it stop. Or as I like to say: Basta. Enough."

The mayor continued, "When there's an indictment or a report of a crime and the accused has an Italian surname, certain members of the Chicago news media appear to believe they can invoke the Outfit. The facts stop being the story; the ethnicity of the accused becomes the focus."

He said Italian Americans themselves are to blame because they let the insults continue without responding.

After Rovito's arrest, Grasso issued a public statement saying that he is a frequent Capri Ristorante customer.

But he said Rovito would face "severe consequences" for his ability to operate locally if he were found guilty.

In 1991, the 17-year-old Rovito committed a sex crime with a 14-year-old girl as the victim, according to court records. He was released from prison in 2002 after about five years, police said.