Joe Tacopina | |
|---|---|
 Tacopina in 2018 | |
| Born | April 14, 1966 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Skidmore College (BA) University of Bridgeport (JD) |
Joseph Tacopina (born April 14, 1966) [1] is an American criminal defense lawyer, media personality, and professional sports executive. He became known as an advocate for high-profile clients in high-profile cases. [2]
Tacopina was born in Brooklyn to Italian immigrants. His father Cosmo (1917–2011) was originally from Rome, and his mother Josephine (née Oliva; 1924–2019) came from Montelepre in the province of Palermo. [3] [4] [5] Cosmo sold packing boxes, while Josephine was an accountant with the New York City Fire Department. [6]
Tacopina was raised in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, where his parents thought that he would get a better education than at the local public school. [7] He attended Poly Prep in Brooklyn, [8] and Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, [9] before graduation in 1991 from the University of Bridgeport law school (now Quinnipiac University School of Law). [10]
Tacopina teaches trial skills at Harvard Law School's Trial Advocacy Workshop. [11]
Tacopina is a name partner and lead trial attorney at his Manhattan-based law firm, Tacopina, Seigel & DeOreo. [12] He started as a prosecutor in Brooklyn and later moved to private practice. [13] Tacopina' clients have included New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez; [14] Joran van der Sloot, [15] the suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, an American high schooler in Aruba; [16] Michael Jackson; [17] Italian sailor Chico Forti; [18] actor Lillo Brancato; [19] New York state senator Hiram Monserrate; [20] rappers A$AP Rocky [21] and Meek Mill, [22] and Kimberly Guilfoyle. [23] He has also represented NFL team Washington Commanders and team owner Daniel Snyder. [24]
Tacopina was the lead trial attorney in 2019 representing Nauman Hussain, who was charged with criminally negligent homicide in the previous year's Schoharie limousine crash. [25] Tacopina represented Julian Khater, who had maced three police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In 2023, Tacopina served as a personal attorney for former and current U.S. President Donald Trump, representing him in a New York criminal case involving payments made to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels, [26] and in a civil case in which Trump was found not liable for the rape claim but was liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll. [27] [28] [29]
Sean Hannity has described Tacopina as one of "the greatest attorneys of all time". [30]
Tacopina has been a commentator for Fox News, CNN, Newsmax and MSNBC. He has served as "legal correspondent" for ABC in Perugia following the Amanda Knox case [31] and has also appeared as an attorney on the American reality television court show, You the Jury . [32] He was named on Billboard 's most influential people in hip hop list. [33] Tacopina can be heard on WABC Radio's weekly show, Sid & Friends in the Morning, in New York. [34]
Tacopina has held executive positions on four Italian football clubs. In 2011, he was part of the American consortium led by Thomas R. DiBenedetto that purchased A.S. Roma, with Tacopina becoming vice-chairman of the board of directors, in October 2011. On September 8, 2014, he resigned from the board. [35]
A preliminary agreement to acquire Bologna F.C. 1909 was signed on September 17, 2014, and was formalized on October 8. On October 15, Tacopina officially assumed the post of president of the club. [36] [37] On November 17, 2014, Joey Saputo was appointed chairman. [36] Tacopina maintained his role as president until he resigned in October 2015. [36]
Tacopina purchased Italian football club Venezia F.C. in October 2015. [38] He sold his shares and resigned in January 2020. [39]
On August 13, 2021, Tacopina became president and owner of Italian football club SPAL of Ferrara, in Serie B or second division at the time. [40] After relegation to Serie C and at the end of a disatrous football season 2024-2025, [41] Tacopina as the owner of SPAL failed to pay inscriptions fees for the club to play the 2025-26 season. This forced the team to abandon professional football. [42] [43] This resulted in very strong negative reactions in the city of Ferrara towards Tacopina as owner of the club, with Mayor of Ferrara Alan Fabbri stating that "who has betrayed the city cannot continue to wear its colors". [44]
On June 12, 2025, the Curva Ovest supporters organized a march through the streets of Ferrara to urge the city council to do everything in its power to "save" SPAL from Tacopina's ownership. Around 2,000 people took part in the demonstration, marching behind a banner that read "Ferrara deserves respect". Once they reached the city center, in front of the main entrance of the town hall, Mayor Alan Fabbri listened to the fans’ demands and received them in written form. [45] [46]
On the morning of Wednesday, August 6, the Court of Ferrara declared the initiation of liquidation of the Tacopina and Follano company, with Judge Anna Ghedini having jurisdiction. It appointed a liquidator to pursue the necessary proceedings, which will also lead to the recovery of the sums needed to repay Spal srl's debts.
This action was initiated on July 15 by two locals lawyers, who had been approached by 37 of the 50 employees seeking payment of outstanding monthly wages. "In the meantime, other creditors have joined, bringing the total to about seventy," explains a lawyer. "More employees, suppliers, and even the Public Prosecutor's Office have joined, given the company's insolvency."
Tacopina is a resident of Westport, Connecticut. [10]