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Grasso has also had a professional relationship with Rovito. Patch reported that the mayor, an attorney, has represented the restaurateur in civil matters. A pasta dish made of “fresh tomato sauce and basil, tossed with a touch of olive oil, and topped with fresh ricotta” at Capri Ristorante is also named “Linguini alla Mayor Grasso”
The relationship has drawn additional attention since Rovito’s arrest.
In June, Grasso wrote an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune criticizing what he described as media coverage that unfairly associates Italian Americans with organized crime. However, he did not directly name Rovito in the piece.
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Two years later, Buffett again targeted the “gamblification” of financial markets in his annual shareholder letter.
“Markets now exhibit far more casino-like behavior than they did when I was young. The casino now resides in many homes and daily tempts the occupants,” Buffett wrote, noting that extreme volatility makes identifying sound, long-term investments vastly more difficult.
“One fact of financial life should never be forgotten. Wall Street–to use the term in its figurative sense–would like its customers to make money, but what truly causes its denizens’ juices to flow is feverish activity. At such times, whatever foolishness can be marketed will be vigorously marketed–not by everyone but always by someone,” Buffett warned.
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Federal prosecutors, however, do not mention the mafia in court documents. They allege the gambling ring generated millions of dollars through illegal sports betting, video gambling, and loansharking operations, with members using intimidation and violence—or the threat of it—to collect debts.
Rovito’s past criminal record includes convictions for aggravated criminal sexual assault and possession of a controlled substance.
He is currently out on a $1 million bond.
