Mikey Coppola
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Coppola also known as "Mikey Cigars", is an American mobster in the Genovese crime family
. It is unknown if he is related to Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola, who was also a member of the Genovese crime family. He has been a key figure in the Genovese crime family New Jersey faction
. He made national headlines when he went on the lam for 11 years to avoid a possible murder conviction.
in the late 1970s and was part of a notorious Genovese crime family hit team known as "The Fist" according to government documents filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. This team performed murders ordered by the Genovese family administration in the late 1970s and 1980s. Coppola was involved in labor racketeering in the trucking industry and New Jersey docks. Coppola served almost five years in prison from 1979 to 1983 for conspiracy and extortion. Coppola became an acting caporegime
(captain) while Tino Fiumara
was in prison in the 1980s and 1990s, running the day-to-day activities of the New Jersey faction Fiurama had orders relayed to him.
and his death was ordered. When Lardiere got out of his car at a Bridgewater, New Jersey motel, Coppola was standing in front of him with a .22 automatic pistol, complete with a silencer. When Coppola squeezed the trigger, the gun jammed. Lardiere was both amused and annoyed by the man and allegedly said "What're you gonna do now, tough guy?". Coppola responded by pulling up his pant leg, and removing a .38 revolver from an ankle holster and shooting Lardiere four times. When police arrived at the crime scene, they knew immediately it was a mob hit. The shooter had left behind his weapons and a hat. In 1996 Lucchese crime family
mobster Thomas "Tommy" Ricciardi who had been arrested on murder and extortion charges, decided to cooperate with authorities. He told the FBI that Lardiere's killer was Michael Coppola. Ricciardi told police that he heard the entire story of Lardiere's murder from Coppola while talking about mob murders with Michael Taccetta
at a party in 1983.
home and went on the lam with his wife. He spent most his time moving between apartments in San Francisco and New York City
. During his time on the run, he was featured on America's Most Wanted
. Although on the run, authorities believed he was still holding power over organized crime
in New Jersey as a fugitive. A fellow New Jersey mobster for the Genovese family and a Furmara/Coppola associate, was charged by the FBI with illegally harboring Coppola during the months before he was caught and arrested. In April 2002, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey obtained an indictment against Fiumara for conspiring to assist Coppola in Coppola’s flight. In March 2003, he pled guilty to conspiring to conceal and failing to report that he had been in contact with Coppola. In November, a federal judge ordered Fiumara back to prison for eight months for concealing Coppola’s whereabouts.
While on the run investigators were searching for him in Nevada
, Pennsylvania
, Florida
, Canada
, Italy
, and Costa Rica
. On March 9, 2007, after 11 years on the run Coppola and his wife Linda were found and arrested. While conducting a search of their Upper West Side
home they found a book entitled "The Methods of Attacking Scientific Evidence". Coppola pleaded guilty to fugitive charges and was given a 42 month (3 and a half years) sentence. His wife Linda also pleaded guilty to harboring a fugitive and received probation. Louis James Rizzo Jr., Coppola's step son, was also convicted for conspiracy to harbor a fugitive and sentenced to 3 years in prison. Rizzo was released on November 10, 2009.
against the Genovese family and cooperate with the FBI. The FBI was willing to give him immunity from prosecution and enter him in the Witness Protection Program if he cooperated. The FBI believed he was involved in the killing of Lawrence Ricci
(along with his son and stepson) on the orders of Tino Fiumara, one of the men the FBI was hoping to prosecute with Coppola's cooperation. Coppola waived a speedy arraignment and spent the next two nights sleeping at FBI headquarters in lower Manhattan at an undisclosed hotel. He also met with a government arranged lawyer known as a shadow counsel
. On the third day however, Coppola refused to cooperate. His defense lawyer Henry Mazurek said that Coppola only dragged out the process in concern for his wife, who he feared would also be arrested and charged.
In July 2009 he was put on trial for racketeering
charges in the murder of John "Johnny Cokes" Lardiere and for extorting the Local 1235 of the International Longshoremen's Association
for over 30 years. If found guilty of all counts, he could have faced life imprisonment
. Defense lawyer Henry Mazurek told jurors that Coppola admitted to making a "rash" decision to flee, but that it didn't prove he's a killer. "He didn't want to stand trial for a murder he didn't commit," Mazurek said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Dennehy told the jury not to be fooled by Coppola's claims and that Coppola "ran because he didn't want to face a jury like you. He hid because he didn't want to face a jury like you." Thomas Riccardi testified that Coppola said he did not agree with the Lardiere murder, but that he followed the orders given to him by Tino Fiumara (who was never charged). Genovese family member turned government witness George Barone was also called to aid the prosecution. Barone was such a handful as a witness that the prosecutor apparently decided it wasn't worth the risk asking him about the murder of Lardiere.
A witness to the murder, Raymond Zychlinski, was called on as a defense witness in the case. Zychlinski refuted the prosecutor's story that Lardiere's killer taunted him and said all he heard was a "horrifying scream". On July 21, 2009 Coppola was acquitted of the murder, partially due to the DNA test proving inconclusive since it matched 11 million white men in America. However, he was found guilty of violating the RICO Act
for extortion and possessing false identification while he was a fugitive, which could have imprisoned him for up to 20 years. Coppola nodded and mouthed the words, "It's O.K.," to his wife after the verdict. He was then taken into custody already serving time for his original fugitive sentence in the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn
. On December 18, 2009 Judge John Gleeson
sentenced Coppola to 16 years in prison. He is currently serving his time at the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta
and his projected release date is March 4, 2024.
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
. It is unknown if he is related to Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola, who was also a member of the Genovese crime family. He has been a key figure in the Genovese crime family New Jersey faction
Genovese crime family New Jersey faction
The Genovese crime family New Jersey faction is the group of mobsters who control the interests of New Jersey rackets in the Genovese crime family. The New Jersey faction has maintained a strong presence in the Northern New Jersey area since the prohibition era...
. He made national headlines when he went on the lam for 11 years to avoid a possible murder conviction.
Early criminal career
Michael Coppola has been working for the Genovese crime family since the 1960s. He became a made manMade man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in the late 1970s and was part of a notorious Genovese crime family hit team known as "The Fist" according to government documents filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. This team performed murders ordered by the Genovese family administration in the late 1970s and 1980s. Coppola was involved in labor racketeering in the trucking industry and New Jersey docks. Coppola served almost five years in prison from 1979 to 1983 for conspiracy and extortion. Coppola became an acting caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
(captain) while Tino Fiumara
Tino Fiumara
Tino "T" Fiumara , also known as "The Greek", was a major figure in the Genovese crime family. Since the 1980s, he had been the leader of the Genovese New Jersey faction in northern New Jersey...
was in prison in the 1980s and 1990s, running the day-to-day activities of the New Jersey faction Fiurama had orders relayed to him.
Alleged murder
In 1996 Coppola was charged in the 1977 killing of John "Johnny Cokes" Lardiere. According to authorities, Lardiere was released for 26 hours from prison to spend the Easter holidays with his family. The reason for his sanctioned killing aren't fully known, but is speculated that he had turned against the mob and was going to give the FBI information on the mob's influence on garbage hauling. Another story has it that Lardiere got into a heated argument with Ralph "Blackie" Napoli, a caporegime in the Philadelphia crime familyPhiladelphia crime family
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Scarfo crime family, Bruno crime family, Philadelphia Mafia, or Philly Mob, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the most active American Mafia families outside of the Five Families of New York...
and his death was ordered. When Lardiere got out of his car at a Bridgewater, New Jersey motel, Coppola was standing in front of him with a .22 automatic pistol, complete with a silencer. When Coppola squeezed the trigger, the gun jammed. Lardiere was both amused and annoyed by the man and allegedly said "What're you gonna do now, tough guy?". Coppola responded by pulling up his pant leg, and removing a .38 revolver from an ankle holster and shooting Lardiere four times. When police arrived at the crime scene, they knew immediately it was a mob hit. The shooter had left behind his weapons and a hat. In 1996 Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
mobster Thomas "Tommy" Ricciardi who had been arrested on murder and extortion charges, decided to cooperate with authorities. He told the FBI that Lardiere's killer was Michael Coppola. Ricciardi told police that he heard the entire story of Lardiere's murder from Coppola while talking about mob murders with Michael Taccetta
Michael Taccetta
Michael Salvatore Taccetta , also known as "Mad Dog", is a high-ranking member of the Lucchese crime family, who wound up controlling the entire New Jersey faction of the family in the 1980s...
at a party in 1983.
Fugitive and arrest
Coppola left his gun and hat at the murder scene. Since the advancement of forensics since 1977, a judge ordered Coppola to submit a DNA test. When the FBI requested a DNA sample on August 8, 1996 which could have proved he was at the murder scene, Coppola left his Spring Lake, New JerseySpring Lake, New Jersey
Spring Lake is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,993....
home and went on the lam with his wife. He spent most his time moving between apartments in San Francisco and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During his time on the run, he was featured on America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
. Although on the run, authorities believed he was still holding power over organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
in New Jersey as a fugitive. A fellow New Jersey mobster for the Genovese family and a Furmara/Coppola associate, was charged by the FBI with illegally harboring Coppola during the months before he was caught and arrested. In April 2002, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey obtained an indictment against Fiumara for conspiring to assist Coppola in Coppola’s flight. In March 2003, he pled guilty to conspiring to conceal and failing to report that he had been in contact with Coppola. In November, a federal judge ordered Fiumara back to prison for eight months for concealing Coppola’s whereabouts.
While on the run investigators were searching for him in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. On March 9, 2007, after 11 years on the run Coppola and his wife Linda were found and arrested. While conducting a search of their Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
home they found a book entitled "The Methods of Attacking Scientific Evidence". Coppola pleaded guilty to fugitive charges and was given a 42 month (3 and a half years) sentence. His wife Linda also pleaded guilty to harboring a fugitive and received probation. Louis James Rizzo Jr., Coppola's step son, was also convicted for conspiracy to harbor a fugitive and sentenced to 3 years in prison. Rizzo was released on November 10, 2009.
Trial
In 2009 the FBI believed that Coppola was going to turn state's evidenceTurn state's evidence
To turn state's evidence is when an accused or convicted criminal testifies as a witness for the state against his associates or accomplices. Turning state's evidence is occasionally a result of a change of heart or feelings of guilt, but more often is done in response to a generous offer from the...
against the Genovese family and cooperate with the FBI. The FBI was willing to give him immunity from prosecution and enter him in the Witness Protection Program if he cooperated. The FBI believed he was involved in the killing of Lawrence Ricci
Lawrence Ricci
Lawrence A. Ricci was a reputed Genovese crime family caporegime.Officially a dairy products salesman, Ricci was allegedly a major mob figure. In 1979, Ricci was sentenced to prison for attempting to extort $4,800 from a Parsippany, New Jersey restaurant owner.In February 2005, Ricci was charged...
(along with his son and stepson) on the orders of Tino Fiumara, one of the men the FBI was hoping to prosecute with Coppola's cooperation. Coppola waived a speedy arraignment and spent the next two nights sleeping at FBI headquarters in lower Manhattan at an undisclosed hotel. He also met with a government arranged lawyer known as a shadow counsel
Shadow counsel
Shadow counsel or a Shadow lawyer is a term used in law to mean an appointed, duplicate, lawyer as an auxiliary or alternate, should the original lawyer fail in some way....
. On the third day however, Coppola refused to cooperate. His defense lawyer Henry Mazurek said that Coppola only dragged out the process in concern for his wife, who he feared would also be arrested and charged.
In July 2009 he was put on trial for racketeering
Racket (crime)
A racket is an illegal business, usually run as part of organized crime. Engaging in a racket is called racketeering.Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes...
charges in the murder of John "Johnny Cokes" Lardiere and for extorting the Local 1235 of the International Longshoremen's Association
International Longshoremen's Association
The International Longshoremen's Association is a labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways...
for over 30 years. If found guilty of all counts, he could have faced life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
. Defense lawyer Henry Mazurek told jurors that Coppola admitted to making a "rash" decision to flee, but that it didn't prove he's a killer. "He didn't want to stand trial for a murder he didn't commit," Mazurek said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Dennehy told the jury not to be fooled by Coppola's claims and that Coppola "ran because he didn't want to face a jury like you. He hid because he didn't want to face a jury like you." Thomas Riccardi testified that Coppola said he did not agree with the Lardiere murder, but that he followed the orders given to him by Tino Fiumara (who was never charged). Genovese family member turned government witness George Barone was also called to aid the prosecution. Barone was such a handful as a witness that the prosecutor apparently decided it wasn't worth the risk asking him about the murder of Lardiere.
A witness to the murder, Raymond Zychlinski, was called on as a defense witness in the case. Zychlinski refuted the prosecutor's story that Lardiere's killer taunted him and said all he heard was a "horrifying scream". On July 21, 2009 Coppola was acquitted of the murder, partially due to the DNA test proving inconclusive since it matched 11 million white men in America. However, he was found guilty of violating the RICO Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
for extortion and possessing false identification while he was a fugitive, which could have imprisoned him for up to 20 years. Coppola nodded and mouthed the words, "It's O.K.," to his wife after the verdict. He was then taken into custody already serving time for his original fugitive sentence in the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn
Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn
The Metropolitan Detention Center located at 80 29th Street near Gowanus Bay, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues on 29th Street, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York, is one of several MDCs operated by the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons....
. On December 18, 2009 Judge John Gleeson
John Gleeson (judge)
John Gleeson is a United States federal judge.Gleeson was born in Bronx, New York. He received a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1975, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1980. He was a law clerk for Boyce Martin on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth...
sentenced Coppola to 16 years in prison. He is currently serving his time at the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta
United States Penitentiary, Atlanta
United States Penitentiary, Atlanta is a medium-security federal prison for men in Atlanta, Georgia. It also has a detention center for pre-trial and holdover inmates and an adjacent camp for minimum security male inmates...
and his projected release date is March 4, 2024.