One of the most legendary Mafia figures to ever operate in the United States was the notorious Genovese Family “capo regime” Michael (Trigger Mike) Coppola. Born in Southern Italy in 1900, but reared and operating from the East Harlem section of Manhattan, Mike Coppola rose to head what could easily be described as one of the largest and most powerful crews, if not the largest and most powerful crew, of the entire Luciano/Genovese borgata.
He was the regional successor to storied Mafioso Ciro (The Artichoke King) Terranova. Together with his partner Joseph (Tough Joey) Rao and several other boyhood buddies, Coppola ruled over East Harlem for decades.
Even after he had permanently relocated down to Miami Beach, Florida around 1950, he continued to head this iconic regime through several proxies he installed. Coppola’s closest friend and confidante, Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno, was appointed to the position of “acting capo” over the crew. Several others, such as Alexander (Al Ross) Rosato, Alfred (Sharkey) Cupola, and Joseph (Joe Stutz) Tortorici helped to hold the fort for him as well.
Down in Miami, he utilized several former East Harlem alumni as his “eyes and ears” including soldier Pasquale (Little Patsy) Erra, his brother Mikey Erra, and Coppola’s brother Vincent (Jimmy) Coppola. Other crew associates included Max (Maxie Raymond) Eder, Rubin (Ruby) Lazarus, and Alfred (Allie) Harris, among others.
