Washington -- An Italian American activist group is seeking to rub out Robert DeNiro's bid for Italian citizenship.

The Order Sons of Italy in America has sent a letter to Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi urging him to change their plans to honor DeNiro, whose paternal grandfather was born in Italy, with honorary Italian citizenship.

OSIA has a record of trying to rub out the image of Italian Americans being portrayed as mobsters in films and TV, and it is dissatisfied with DeNiro's film history, saying he has "made a career of playing gangsters of Italian descent."

The letter was sent late Tuesday (Aug. 10) evening, and the group has yet to receive a response. But spokeswoman Dona De Sanctis says OSIA has "more than a casual contact" with Berlusconi.

Earlier this year they honored the prime minister when he visited the U.S., "so it's not that he doesn't know who we are," she says.

DeNiro could redeem himself with the group. But De Sanctis says that he'll have to choose more roles that honor his heritage.

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