MOB 'GROWING' PAIN

BUGGED WISEGUYS TAPED TRASHING 'DISGUSTING' GOTTI REALITY-TV SHOW

"Growing Up Gotti" got two thumbs down from a group of old-school gangsters who were secretly taped ripping the reality show, which cashed in on the name of infamous Mafia boss John Gotti.

"It's a soap opera . . . The kids look like girls," Genovese capo Ciro Perrone, 85, groused over dinner at Don Peppe, his Italian restaurant in Ozone Park, Queens, according to an FBI affidavit filed in Manhattan federal court.

Calling the show "insulting" and "one of the most disgusting shows," reputed mobster John Yannucci, 61, scoffed at how the Gottis had resorted to make a buck.

"They are paying a hell of a price to be an embarrassment," Ralph Scopo, a Colombo soldier, said during the Dec. 14, 2004, gripe session, which was first reported on the Web site ganglandnews.com.

The show gave viewers an unscripted view of the blond-trussed Victoria Gotti, daughter of the Dapper Don, and her three unruly and hair-gelled teenage sons living large in their glitzy Old Westbury, L.I., mansion.

Scopo, who was a close pal to the don, trashed the former Gambino boss' grandsons, telling his fellow gangsters, "The kids can't even talk." A&E Network added subtitles to the show so that the boys could be understood.

Scopo added that he was "so embarrassed" for the family that he can't even speak about it, according to the affidavit.

The network pulled the plug on "Growing Up Gotti" in December 2005 after three seasons.

The show likely would have shocked the late Gambino boss, who was known for his fierce sense of pride and never even permitted his wife and daughters to come to court while he was on trial.

But with Gotti gone, the dismay was left to his old cronies.

The gripe session was secretly recorded by an FBI bug placed at a table in the back of Don Peppe, where the crew met every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss mob business, according to the affidavit by FBI Agent John Penza.

The trio talked about how Victoria's ex-husband, Carmine Agnello, father to the Gotti teens, was expected to be released from prison, but they figured he probably wouldn't be able to set the family straight.