Born Salerno, Italy, 1900.
Died 1966.
As a young man, Coppola involved himself in hold-ups. In 1922, he was convicted of grand larceny and served a prison sentence at Sing Sing.
Coppola is believed to have taken part in the armed robbery of Magistrate Vitale's Bronx banquet in 1928 - a banquet some say was hosted by Terranova. That robbery and the subsequent recovery of all items taken exposed city government connections with the mob.
Coppola's rackets included a monopoly on coin-operating vending and gaming machines. His territory included areas in Brooklyn, Bronx, and Manhattan, as well as Miami, Florida.
In spring of 1960, Coppola was indicted for evading income taxes during the years 1956-59. According to prosecutors, he owed a total of $385,494 in addition to penalties of up to $40,000. While there were no financial records of Coppola's dealings, the IRS calculated his taxes by approximating his net worth. In 1962, Coppola was sentenced to a year in prison, four years' probation and a $40,000 fine. He served nine months of his prison term. By 1964, the government claimed that Coppola's tax debt had risen to almost a million dollars. A settlement of $400,000 was reached in May of 1964.
In 1963, informant Joseph Valachi identified Coppola as a leading figure in the U.S. Mafia.
