Fire Hot 5

What is Fire Hot 5?

The latest contribution is not the first time Rovito’s campaign donations to Grasso have attracted attention.

In 2017, Rovito donated $5,000 to Grasso’s unsuccessful campaign for Illinois attorney general. Grasso returned that money about a month later after a television station questioned the contribution, according to Patch. 

Grasso did not explain the reason for that earlier return.

What is Fire Hot 5?

Bally’s announced on Monday that it has secured a total of $560 million worth of financing from WhiteHawk Capital Partners “to fund further development of the Bally’s Bronx project and general corporate purposes”. The funding will close this quarter, the company said.

“This important financing allows us to progress the pre-construction planning process so that we are ready to complete the remainder of the capital raise and remain on schedule,” Kim said in a statement. “Furthermore, the additional liquidity provides us greater flexibility for other capital opportunities.”

The financing, added Bob Louzan, managing partner at WhiteHawk Capital Partners, reflects its ability to structure flexible capital solutions for complex transactions to “support the project’s pre-construction work as Bally’s advances its broader financing plan”.

About Fire Hot 5

In response to a query from local news outlet Patch, Republican Mayor Gary Grasso confirmed the existence of the donations from the Capri restaurant and the Are We Live nightclub, two Burr Ridge businesses owned by Filippo “Gigi” Rovito.    

Rovito, whom NBC Chicago previously reported has alleged ties to the Chicago Outfit, is facing federal charges of operating an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means.

He was among 22 people arrested in coordinated raids by the FBI April 29 following a long-running investigation dubbed “Operation Porterhouse Parlay,” which allegedly uncovered links between illegal gambling operations and restaurant networks spanning Northwest Indiana and suburban Chicago.