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2 More 'Sopranos' Run Afoul of the Law
Forbes & AP ^ | 02 MAY 06 | TOM HAYS

Posted on 05/03/2006 1:01:28 AM PDT by familyop

It would be enough to give Tony Soprano agita.

Continuing a string of off-screen run-ins with the law, two more fringe characters from "The Sopranos"_ the television mob boss's favorite chef and his muscle-bound bodyguard - have been charged in separate criminal cases.

John Ventimiglia, who plays temperamental chef Artie Bucco on the HBO hit, was arraigned Monday on drunken driving, drug possession and other charges after officers spotted him weaving in and out of traffic.

A criminal complaint alleges that when police pulled him over, the actor had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of booze. His blood-alcohol content was 0.12 - the legal limit is 0.08 - and he was carrying a zip-lock bag with cocaine residue, the complaint said.

Ventimiglia, 42, was released without bail.

In a statement issued Tuesday, his lawyer, Benjamin Petrofsky, said his client "feels terrible and embarrassed."

Louis Gross - who plays bodyguard Perry Annunziata on "The Sopranos" - was charged with criminal mischief after a woman claimed that he broke into her home on April 18. True to his character, the 23-year-old observed omerta (the Mafia's code of silence) on Monday following his release without bail.

"I don't know nothing," he told reporters. "I'm innocent. I'm always innocent."

Arrests have become a right of passage for a growing list of "Sopranos" cast members:

_ Lillo Brancato Jr., who played an aspiring mobster on the show, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the slaying last year of an off-duty police officer who interrupted two men breaking into a Bronx home.

_ Vincent Pastore, cast as gangster Sal "Big Pussy" Bompensiero before getting whacked, pleaded guilty in 2005 to attempted assault on his girlfriend and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service.

_ Robert Iler, who plays Tony's rebellious son, pleaded guilty to mugging two other youths and stealing $40. He was give three years' probation.

Gross' most memorable scene this season was taking a beating from Tony, who wanted to prove his might to mutinous family members.

In another recent episode, Ventimiglia's character became unhinged over his wife's unsolicited advice about his failing restaurant.

Snapped Artie: "You know better than NJ Zagat: 'Arthur Bucco, warm and convivial host'?"


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: badabingbadaboom; hollywood; italians; lifeimitatesart; mafia; media; mob; sopranos
...more about the US media and entertainment industry culture.
1 posted on 05/03/2006 1:01:30 AM PDT by familyop
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To: familyop

The article came from the Associated Press by way of Forbes, BTW.


2 posted on 05/03/2006 1:02:30 AM PDT by familyop ("Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." --President Bush)
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To: familyop

Just your typical run-of-the-mill HBO trash. Nothing new here.


3 posted on 05/03/2006 1:27:39 AM PDT by WashingtonStateRepublican
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Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: familyop

By the way, perhaps they should just put cameras on the cast and make it a reality show. That would probably be better than the actual show which is starting to "stink up da joint" this season.


5 posted on 05/03/2006 3:47:52 AM PDT by PBRSTREETGANG
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To: PBRSTREETGANG
"The article doesn't even mention "Big Pussy's" arrest for beating his girlfriend."

"Vincent Pastore, cast as gangster Sal "Big Pussy" Bompensiero before getting whacked, pleaded guilty in 2005 to attempted assault on his girlfriend and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service."

6 posted on 05/03/2006 5:10:47 AM PDT by Enterprise (The MSM - Propaganda wing and news censorship division of the Democrat Party.)
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To: Enterprise

You are 100% correct.

I have to plead early morning pre-coffee selective blindness, I guess.


7 posted on 05/03/2006 5:24:37 AM PDT by PBRSTREETGANG
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