Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City in 1960. In the mid-1980s, Zappola joined the Lucchese family, working for the Brooklyn faction that was run by underboss Anthony Casso. Zappola became one of Casso's closest allies and in 1990 was promoted to caporegime. Both his father and a paternal uncle, small-time criminal associates of organized crime, were each murdered by unknown gunmen, in homicides that were never solved. Despite this, George still wanted to become a 'made man' in the Mafia.