Ex-capo Frank Coppa was the first made member of the notorious crime family to cooperate with the government in catching mob honchos.
BY JOHN MARZULLI
He made mob history and now his racketeering murder case is history, too.
Ex-capo Frank Coppa, the first made member of the Bonanno crime family to cooperate with the government, was sentenced Thursday to time served for his life of racketeering. He had spent two years in the can before being released on bail a decade ago.
Coppa, who appeared to tip the scales at well over 300 pounds, zipped into Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis' courtroom on a motorized scooter.
Federal prosecutor Amy Busa urged the judge to show leniency for the 73-year-old former gangster who is in failing health.
Coppa's decision to become a rat in 2002 set in motion the cooperation of the Bonanno family's underboss and several other captains.
"I was going to draw the analogy of dominos falling, but I would say it's more like being in a redwood forest and having one tree fall on another tree and another tree," Garaufis said. "With Mr. Coppa's cooperation the redwoods started to fall and many of them fell in this courtroom."
Coppa testified against then-boss Joseph Massino and admitted participating in several murder conspiracies including the killing of Dominick (Sonny Black) Napolitano who was rubbed out for introducing an undercover FBI agent calling himself "Donnie Brasco" into the Bonanno ranks.
"I'd like to say I'm really sorry for the people that were hurt," Coppa said.
Garaufis ordered Coppa to stay away from anyone connected to organized crime during his five years of supervised release - but it is unclear if the order bars him from meeting his son, Frank Coppa, Jr., who is a reputed soldier in the Bonanno family.