THE NIAF PROTESTS ETHNIC 
PROFILING IN JURY SELECTION

    (WASHINGTON, DC - November 27, 2001)   The National Italian American
Foundation (NIAF), an advocacy group in Washington, DC for Americans of
Italian descent, strongly protests a recent federal court decision that
allowed six Italian Americans to be excluded without cause from a
Philadelphia murder trail of a defendant with an Italian last name.
 
    On November 15, 2001, U.S. District Judge William Yohn agreed with
the 1998 ruling of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that prosecutors in this
murder trial did not discriminate against Italian Americans during the jury
selection.

    In the ruling, U.S. District Judge William Yohn said prosecutors
could use absolute challenges to keep Italian Americans off the jury in the
murder trial of Joseph Rico.  Such challenges permit attorneys to remove
jurors without stating a reason.  Judge Yohn ruled that federal law was not
violated because Italian Americans are not an identifiable racial group.

    Ironically,  the defendant, Joseph Rico, has no Italian roots but
changed his surname from Gravel to appear Italian.  He was convicted and is
serving a life sentence.

    "At a time of great sensitivity over profiling of any sort, it is
troubling that one group was identified in the voir dire process and then
excluded from the jury pool," said NIAF General Counsel Joseph V. DelRaso, a
Philadelphia attorney with Pepper Hamilton LLP.

    "This raises questions about the protection afforded U.S. citizens
under our Constitution.   I am sure that if appealed the court will give
full and careful consideration to these issues,"  Del Raso said.

    The NIAF is conferring with Italian American legal groups and
societies about organizing an academic symposium on the issues of racial,
ethnic and religious profiling in the jury selection process.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization
based in Washington, DC and dedicated to preserving  the heritage of Italian
Americans.  Visit our website at: www.niaf.org

Contact: Elissa Ruffino at 202/387-0600 or elissa@niaf.org