An individual with ties to the Genovese crime family recently stood before a judge and admitted being involved in illegal gambling activities in New Jersey, as well as offshore. Vincent Coppola will now face sentencing for his crimes, but could also face the family if he decides to play “Let’s Make a Deal.”
Coppola’s participation was uncovered during a larger illegal sports gambling investigation. He apparently was involved in a network of associates of the Genovese family that were running the operations, which included facilities in New Jersey, as well as a wire room in Costa Rica that was used for processing bets.
Coppola reportedly worked as an agent tasked with managing sub-agents—individuals who controlled an established list of gamblers. Last Wednesday, he admitted to one count of third-degree gambling promotion. He could be sentenced to up to 180 days in jail followed by probation.
According to investigators looking into illegal gambling in the state, Coppola was in charge of two New Jersey-based sub-agents, Jerry J. Albanese of Scotch Plains and John W. Trainor of Brick. He allowed both to have greater control over the bettors in their “packages” (a group of bettors) and those packages allegedly handled over $1.7 million in wagers in 2011. That year, over $400,000 in profits were recorded.