Event Poster (97k)

This file is in Adobe Acrobat^® PDF format.
Please note: Reading PDF files requires the Acrobat^® Reader - available free from Adobe.

Author of For the Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son and The Legacy of A Mob Life

Program Title - Growing Up Mafia: Confessions of a Mobster's Son

From The Godfather to GoodFellas, and from The Sopranos to Road to Perdition, Hollywood glamorizes Mob life. As Al DeMeo knows, the gangster's reality—and that of his family—is not pretty at all.

Albert Demeo is the son of Gambino Family capo, Roy DeMeo. In his heyday, Roy was the mastermind behind the biggest auto-theft ring in New York history and by the late 1970s, was one of the most feared hitman as well. At the same time, he was an attentive and caring husband and father who provided for his family and doted on his son Al. Eventually, the senior DeMeo drew Al into his business, making him confidante, assistant and eventually, accomplice.

In a powerful lecture presentation, DeMeo strips the glitz and glamour from the conventional gangster tale. His is a raw and painful tale of a childhood wrought with nervousness, fear and sadness which led to an early adulthood of paranoia, harassment and wrongful accusations. Unlike any gangster tale heard thus far, DeMeo presents an honest and genuine account of a cycle that leaves in its wake innocent victims and shattered lives. In his compelling lecture presentation of a life-less-ordinary, DeMeo paints a vivid picture of a tightly-knit community that takes care of its own when things are going well and ruthlessly disposes of them when they become liabilities.