Joe Tacopina

Joseph Tacopina is an Italian–American lawyer and chairman/owner of Venezia F.C. He is born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to Italian immigrants.

Joe Tacopina
Born (1966-04-14) 14 April 1966[1]
Brooklyn, New York[1]
NationalityAmerican[1]
OccupationLawyer, businessman, football owner
Net worth30 million
Board member of

Early life and education

Raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Tacopina attended Poly Prep and Skidmore College, before graduating in 1991 from law school at the University of Bridgeport (now Quinnipiac University School of Law).[2]

His law firm, "Tacopina Seigel & DeOreo" is based in Manhattan.

Tacopina was instrumental in helping vindicate his client Meek Mill. Mill's case sparked a national debate on criminal justice reform. Jay-Z, another Tacopina client, voiced his thoughts on the unjust system that seemingly targets minorities by keeping them in legal limbo. Tacopina has represented many high profile clients, including New York Yankees Third basemen Alex Rodriguez and Joran van der Sloot, who was the suspect in the mysterious disappearance of Natalee Holloway, an American high schooler, in Aruba, Pop Artist Michael Jackson, Italian sailor Chico Forti, actor Lillo Brancato, Fox News Anchor Sean Hannity, and he defended NY State Senator Hiram Monserrate, as well as the former head of the New York Police Department, Bernard Kerik.

In 2019 he was retained to represent Nauman Hussain, charged with criminally negligent homicide in the previous year's Schoharie limousine crash.[3]

Tacopina has collaborated with the World US television, he was a commentator for Fox News and MSNBC, and has served as envoy as "legal correspondent" of American television ABC to Perugia to follow the murder of Meredith Kercher.

He appeared as an attorney on the American reality television prime time court show, You the Jury, canceled after two episodes.

In 2019, The National Action Network, Rev, Al Sharpton's Civil Rights Organization, named Tacopina Humanitarian of the Year. He was also named to Billboard's Top Most Influential People in Hip Hop. Tacopina was named Man of the Year in 2019 by New York State's Commission for Social Justice.

Tacopina is criminal defense legal consultant for CNN and ABC Radio, appearing weekly on the Bernie & Sid morning radio show.

The Guardian a legal TV drama, was inspired by Tacopina's courtroom style, ran for four seasons on CBS, from 2001 to 2004.

Association football

In 2011, Tacopina was part of the American consortium led by Thomas R. DiBenedetto to become the owner of A.S. Roma, and became the vice-chairman of the board of directors in October 2011. The position vice-chairman was removed circa 2012–13 season, but Tacopina remained as the member of the board, as well as the member of the internal control committee. On 8 September 2014 he resigned from the Board of Directors of Roma.[4]

A preliminary agreement to acquire Bologna F.C. 1909 was signed on September 17, 2014, which was formalized on October 8th by the Board on Bologna FC. On October 15th, Tacopina officially assumed the post of President of the Bologna Football Club.[5][6] On November 17th 2014, Joey Saputo was appointed chairman;[5] .Tacopina maintained his role as President until he resigned in October 2015. [5]

He purchased Italian club Venezia F.C. in October 2015 and is currently President and Chairman of the club.[7] [8]

Tacopina became the first President in Italian football history to win three promotions in a row (Bologna 2014-2015; Venezia 2015-16, 2016-2017).

Tacopina has held executive positions on three Italian Football Clubs. He was President and board member of Venezia FC (2015-2020), previously President and board member of Bologna FC (2014 -2015 ), and was the former Vice President and board member of AS Roma (2011-2014). On January 16 2021 he signed a preliminary agreement for the acquisition of the total shares of Sicilian football team Calcio Catania.

Personal life

Tacopina, together with his wife Patricia and their five children, has been a resident of Westport, Connecticut, where his home includes an indoor ice skating rink.[2]

References
  1. BFC 1909 Lux SPV S.A. filing in Luxembourg Company Register
  2. Eligon, John. "A Case That Will Test a Lawyer’s Bond With the Police", The New York Times, January 11, 2009. Accessed November 18, 2019. "He grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, the son of Italian immigrants.... He attended Poly Prep High School in Brooklyn and went on to Skidmore College. He said he paid his way through law school at the University of Bridgeport with student loans."
  3. Tacopino, Joe (February 1, 2019). "Limo owner charged in deadly upstate crash hires high-profile attorney". New York Post. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. "2013–14 Annual Report" (PDF) (in Italian). A.S. Roma. October 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  5. Bologna F.C. 1909 bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2014, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. (in Italian)
  6. "Joe Tacopina è il Presidente del Bologna" (Press release) (in Italian). Bologna F.C. 1909. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  7. "U.S. lawyer Joe Tacopina buys Italian club Venezia FC". espnfc.us. 9 October 2015.
  8. organigramma Venezia F.C., accessed on 16 May 2017 (in Italian)
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