Frank Coppa a one time captain in the Bonanno crime family and its first member to publicly break his vow of silence known as “Omerta” gets rewarded for his betrayal. He flipped back in 2002 after being indicted for third time on racketeering charges in a short two year span. His decision to turn rat is considered by the feds as a seminal moment in the take down of the Bonanno family over the last decade. Once Coppa flipped it induced other mobsters inside the family to follow his lead helping to take down then powerful boss Joseph Massino and dozens of other wiseguys.
“Joseph Massino and Frank Coppa”
Coppa gave the feds detailed information of the inner workings of one of the then strongest New York mafia families as the first made member of the Bonanno’s agreeing to testify for the feds. Among much of the information he supplied prosecutors with was his induction into the family and the commission of various murders carried out by the Bonanno family. Included in those murders was the 1981 hit carried out by Massino and families Sicilian family faction on three rival capo’s and along with murder of capo Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano for allowing FBI agent alias Donnie Brasco to infiltrate the family.
He only testified at one trial back the 2004 Massino racketeering and murder trial. Afterwards he was released on bail and has been awaiting sentencing ever since. He admitted to his role in the murder of Sonny Black Napolitano and gave information on 14 mob slayings in total. His rap sheet also includes stock fraud, loan sharking, tax evasion, and drug dealing and technically was facing a sentence of life in prison.
Prosecutors sought a very lenient sentence for what they call his historic decision to become first Bonanno mobster to flip leading to the dismantling of the family. Coppa has been rewarded well for his services getting sentenced to only two years of time served today.
The bonno family has always in my opinion suffered apart from the 90s and early 2000s the Bonno family in my opinion has always from internal fighting. During the late 70s and 80s the family really declined with the Donni Brasco operation and Rustai Rastelli conviction but under Joe Massimo they recovered. When Massimo flipped i thought the Bonno were in big trouble but they have recovered but according to reports over last few years there is alot of internal bickering and the familys leadership panel is not as strong as under Joe Massimo
Yes when this whole Coppa thing went down and ultimately lead to the Massino flipping and the Basciano escapade the family was really dealt a huge blow. Massino had really done a great job rebuilding that family in more or less old school mob style , only to then help destroy it.
Your right the family as it is now is definitely not nearly at the level it was in Massino’s prime and who knows if it ever gets back to that level again.