Michael Coppola

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Michael Coppola

Born 1904
New York, U.S.
Died October 1, 1966
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1904 - October 1, 1966) was a New York mobster involved in narcotics who headed many Luciano-Genovese family criminal operations from the late 1930's until the early 1960's.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Born in 1904, Coppola entered the ranks of the New York mafiosi during Prohibition and quickly gained a reputation as a sadistic and violent gunman. By the end of the Castellammarese War, Coppola was a high ranking member of Charles "Lucky" Luciano's organization. In 1936, Luciano went to prison on prostitution charges and underboss Vito Genovese fled to Italy to avoid a murder charge. Coppola was left in charge of the Luciano crime family's criminal operations. These operations, including a monopoly on New York's artichoke supply and Harlem's numbers racket, grossed worth over $1,000,000 a year.

[edit] First wife

Despite Coppola's rapid rise to power, his personal life would be a source of ongoing problems. In 1943, Coppola married his first wife, Doris Lehman (c1920-1948). A few years later, Doris reportedly overheard Coppola discussing plans to assassinate New York Republican Party political activist Joseph Scottoriggio, who was murdered in 1946. Doris went to prosecutors and was scheduled to testify against Coppola. However, she became pregnant and the testimony was postponed. The day after she gave birth, Doris was found murdered. According to Coppola's second wife, Ann Coppola, Doris was murdered by Coppola himself to stop the testimony. [1] [2]

In 1960, Coppola was one of eleven men officially listed in the Black Book by the Nevada Gaming Commission. This barred him from participating in casino ownership or management in Nevada.

[edit] Second wife

Some time after the murder of his first wife, Coppola remarried. His new wife, Ann Coppola (c1910-c1962), eventually discovered her husband's true character. When their daughter grew older, she discovered that Coppola had been supplying her with drugs. Ann filed for divorce and later agreed to testify against Coppola in an income tax investigation. In retaliation, Coppola ordered several gunmen to kidnap and assault her. Ann was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left on an isolated beach. However, she survived the ordeal and continued to help the investigation.

In April 1961, Coppola was indicted on four counts of income tax evasion. Following a mistrial, Coppola took a plea bargain. In 1962, he was convicted of tax evasion, fined $40,000, and sentenced to four years in prison and four years probation. ([1]).

Following Coppola's conviction, Ann grabbed $250,000 of mob money and fled to Europe. While in Rome, Italy, Ann sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (with certain portions addressed to then-U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy) detailing the criminal activities of the Luciano crime family. Ann also claimed that Coppola subjected her to mental and physical abuse during their marriage. After sending the letter to the IRS, Ann sent a second letter to her ex-husband in prison. Finishing that letter, she committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills.

[edit] Death

Released from Atlanta Federal Prison in 1963, Coppola was unable to regain his previous power with his crime family. He lived in obscurity until his 1966 death at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Wife of 'Trigger Mike' Released in Bail as Material Witness in the Scottoriggio Case", New York Times, July 16, 1947, Wednesday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "After her sudden appearance before the Grand Jury yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Doris Coppola, 25-year-old wife of Michael (Trigger Mike) Coppola, was released in $15,000 bail as a material witness in the investigation of the fatal Election Day beating of Joseph R. Scottoriggio." 
  2. ^ "Ten Detectives at the Funeral of Trigger Mike's Wife", New York Times, March 23, 1948, Tuesday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Mills, James. The Underground Empire: Where Crime and Governments Meet, 1986.
  • Binda, Lawrence. The Big, Bad Book of Mike: Rogues, Rascals and Rapscallions Named Michael, Mike and Mickey, Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, 2003, (ISBN 0-595-28772-7).
  • Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000, (ISBN 0-313-30653-2).
  • Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Facts On File Inc., 2005, (ISBN 0-8160-5694-3).

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Dutch Schultz		 Policy racket in New York City
circa 1935-1948		 Succeeded by
Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno
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