Why Nobody Has Been Charged Over Goodfellas Lufthansa Heist

Goodfellas shows the planning and aftermath of the Lufthansa heist, but why hasn't anyone been charged for it despite all the clues?

Goodfellas shows the early planning of the Lufthansa heist and its aftermath, including clues left by some of the cabin crew that should have led to their arrest - but why hasn't anyone been charged over the Lufthansa heist? Based on Nicholas Pileggi's non-fiction book Wiseguy, Goodfellas is based on the true story of gangster Henry Hill, chronicling his rise and fall as part of the Lucchese crime family.

During his dealings with the mob, Henry Hill befriended some notable figures from the underworld, such as Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and Jimmy "Gentleman" Conway (Robert De Niro). Henry was also involved in various crimes, mostly with Tommy and Jimmy, and while he wasn't behind the Lufthansa heist, he was a key figure in it as he helped plan the entire heist. While the heist was well planned, some mistakes were made, and no one on Jimmy's crew was charged for it, even though Pauly's crew is known to have been involved.

Why Only One Person Was Charged For The Lufthansa Heist

Lufthansa heist at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City December 11, 1978, at the airport, became the largest cash robbery in the United States at the time. The heist is planned when bookmaker Martin Krugman (Goodfellas' Maury Kessler) tells Henry Hill that Lufthansa flies currency to the cargo terminal at JFK, He heard about it from Luis Werner, an airport worker who owed Krugman money, and his colleague Peter Gruenwald. The rest of the Lufthansa heist plan is credited to Jimmy Burke (Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas), who assembled a team that included Tommy DeSimone (Tommy DeVito in the film) and Angelo Cepe (Frankie Karlben) team. However, only Luis Werner was convicted of robbery in 1979 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Although Burke carefully planned every step of the heist, he made a big mistake. Parnell “Stacks” Edwards was tasked with getting rid of the van they were using, but he failed to do so, and police found the van two days after the robbery. Thanks to fingerprints taken from the van, the FBI identified Burke's crew as the likely perpetrators, and while they set up tight surveillance and kept tracking them, they didn't have enough material Make a clear connection between Burke's crew and the heist. However, there is enough evidence to indict Werner for helping to plan the heist, and Burke, paranoid about getting caught, orders the murder of many of his accomplices and masterminds, as seen in Goodfellas.

In 2014, Vincent Asaro, a member of the Bonanno crime family, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a robbery, and his cousin, Gaspare Valenti, testified . However, Daniel Simone, co-author of the book "The Lufthansa Heist" with Henry Hill, reported that Hill told him Asaro had nothing to do with the heist, and upon further investigation, Asaro was acquitted of all charges related to the Lufthansa heist in 2015. ^In both Goodfellas and real life, Jimmy Burke is believed to be the mastermind of the heist, and the crew is nearly identical, although in real life, Burke's son Frank is also involved, as he is tasked with driving one of the backup vehicles. However, Goodfellas doesn't show the heist, focusing only on the early stages of the plan, the crew Burke puts together, and its aftermath. Good Guys Show Dead Body Moments Some of Burke's associates are found, and that's what solving the heist is all about. Since Henry Hill wasn't part of the Lufthansa crew, Goodfellas didn't show the heist because it really wasn't necessary, but the aftermath is just as entertaining as the heist itself.

How Accurate Is Goodfellas’ Depiction Of The Lufthansa Heist

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