In 1998 article, Coppola said that the Buffalo mob was penniless.....that in itself is a huge lie.
For me, that shows predicate, meaning hell lie and exaggerate about other items inclusive to the family simply to gain followers and believers of his work.
It's not really a huge lie when you consider the enormous rackets that Buffalo had taken away from it. In context, Coppola's comment makes perfect sense. He's not trying to say that every Buffalo wiseguy was rattling a tin can on the street. But without the unions, Las Vegas pipeline, big loansharking books, and other staple rackets, the Buffalo mob simply did not have many enormous money-makers left. That's where the penniless comment comes from.
And if you're that hung up about Coppola's truth-telling, then it boggles my mind that you can take Giacomo seriously.
