Ettore Coco

Ettore "Eddie" Coco (July 12, 1908 Palermo, Sicily – December 1991) was a New York City mobster who served as acting boss of the Lucchese crime family in 1967.

In the 1940s, Eddie Coco worked with James Plumeri, Frank Palermo, Harry Segal and Felix Bocchicchio for soldier Frankie Carbo in a group known as "The Combination". The Combination acted as boxing promoters and were accused of fixing matches. During this period, Coco met Rocky Graziano, then an amateur boxer fighting in New York City's Lower East Side. He helped Grazino start a professional boxing career and throughout the following years was viewed as a somewhat manager. In the late 1940s, Coco was suspected of placing wagers and taking bets on fights while Graziano was accused of taking bribes. These accusations continued until Graziano retired in 1952.

In 1953, Coco was arrested in Florida for murdering a Miami car-wash operator in a dispute over a bill. On November 12, 1953, Coco was sentenced to life in prison. During the 1963 McClellan hearings, government witness Joseph Valachi identified Coco as a Capo in Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese's crime family.

In 1965, Coco was released from prison after serving ten years on his life sentence. He stayed in Florida and was under government surveillances. In July 1967, family boss Tom Lucchese died and Coco became a candidate to become the new boss. He served as acting boss in 1967. In late 1967, Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo went to Florida and meet with Coco. He later step down as acting boss and Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti became the new boss. Coco continued to operate as a capo under Tramunti, with criminal activities in New York and Florida that kept him under strict government watch.

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