As reported by New York Daily News, former Mob Wives star Karen Gravano is suing Rockstar Games for damages. She claims her likeness has been used in Grand Theft Auto V without her permission.
Karen Gravano was featured in the first three seasons of Mob Wives. She is the daughter of the now incarcerated Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, a former underboss working under the Gambino crime family.
If you’ve played Grand Theft Auto V, you might be familiar with Antonia Bottino. She’s encountered as part of a triggered event in the Paleto Bay area where several armed men are preparing a grave for her. If you choose to rescue Antonia, she reveals her story during a long drive back to Vinewood before rewarding the player with $60,000.
Part of her backstory includes explaining that her father is Sammy Bottino, a fictional character who just so happens to sound a lot like Karen Gravano’s father. Details go as far as describing Sammy’s decades of crime where he was an underboss of the fictional Gambetti Family.
It becomes clear that the quest isn’t just a coincidence when Antonia mentions that her father wouldn’t let her be on the reality show “Wise Bitches”. That doesn’t happen on accident.
How Karen was made aware of her claimed appearance in Grand Theft Auto V is unknown, but it has clearly caused a negative reaction.
Using Karen and her father’s stories might have saved Rockstar Games from having to come up with a side-story of their own, and maybe even catch a few laughs from those who noticed the correlation, but it might end up costing them. Karen has already filed the suit and is looking for $40 million due to punitive damages and compensation.
