L'omerta, it ain't what it used to be

Victoria Gotti, daughter of the late mob boss John Gotti, and her sons
John, Frank, and Carmine. (AP Photo)

Where is the Code of Silence, now when we really need it?

Sons of Italy News Bureau
............. Press Release .............

SONS OF ITALY CONDEMNS A&E FOR GROWING UP GOTTI

Washington - August 6, 2004 - The Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), through its anti-defamation arm, the Commission for Social Justice (CSJ), has strongly criticized the Arts and Entertainment (A&E) cable network for producing the new television series Growing Up Gotti, which premiered nationally Monday, Aug. 2.

"A&E would like us to think that it has produced a documentary series about a struggling single mother, who is raising three sons while balancing the demands of a career, family and a social life," says CSJ President Albert De Napoli, Esq., who practices law in Boston.

"That is ingenuous at best," De Napoli said. "If Ms. Gotti had a different last name, A&E would not have given a second thought to a series about her life."

"Clearly, A&E is cashing in on the nation's fascination with The Sopranos. What's worse, this series undermines the only positive stereotype identified with Italian Americans: their love for each other and loyalty to the family."

Read the complete OSIA press release here.