American Outlaws: Goodfellas

0:00 Speaker 1: Warning, Kind of Murdery contains adult themes, explicit language, and descriptions of violence. It is not suitable for anyone, and we recommend you stop listening now.

0:18 Speaker 2: True Crime with a dash of the paranormal, the garish, the strange in the darkly comic, a podcast that's about more than just murder. It's my very own pocket dimension, home to a curated collection of bizarre and compelling stories, the unsolved, the unsettling, and the unbelievable. I cover it all just so long as it's kind of murdery. That's right, everybody. You've just heard one hundred percent verifiable information. I amaze Evan Odleberg, and this is kind of murdery.

0:50 Speaker 3: Now. You may think you know the story of Goodfellas who was involved in what really happened? But do you do? You? Actually does anyone? And while you may know the story of Goodfellow, you haven't heard the kind of murdery version of the real crime yet. And I hope I think you're going to want to now, So if you're ready, please join me as we uncover what truths we can and solve what mysteries we may. Kind of murderies Bad Fellas cocaine chaos and the legendary Luftanza heist starts. Now, the Luftanza highst stands as a stark reminder of the audacity and brutal effectiveness, at least up to a point of organized crime.

1:43 Speaker 3: The heist, which occurred in the winter chill of December nineteen seventy eight at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, was not just another theft of jewels and cash. It was the largest heist of its kind in American history. The plot was orchestrated by a cadre of associates, and their target was nothing short of staggering, and estimated five million dollars in untraceable American currency and an additional eight hundred and seventy five thousand dollars in jewels. Now, that's a haul that would be impressive at any time in American history, but adjusted for inflation, the roughly six million dollars in cash and jewels taken in nineteen seventy eight would be worth twenty six million dollars today.

2:25 Speaker 3: The loot, flown in from West Germany was sitting in the Luftanza Airlines cargo building, seemingly secure yet tantalizingly vulnerable. As this story will reveal, the audacity of the heist was matched only by its brutal aftermath. In the years that followed, a blood bath ensued within the criminal underworld. The architects of the heist, perhaps driven by paranoia, greed, or a twisted sense of self preservation, began to eliminate anyone who could tie them back to the crime. The purge was ruthless and indiscriminate, leaving a trail of bodies, each a silenced witness to the highst For if mobsters and pirates share one piece of wisdom, it's the dead Men tell no tales.

3:10 Speaker 3: Now, four decades later, the shroud of mystery still lingers. The few who survived the ensuing bloodmath managed to evade justice, slipping through the fingers of law enforcement. Their survival speaks to a combination of luck, cunning, and a code of silence or omerta that is as old as organized crime itself. The Luftanza heist exposes the dark underbelly of the American dream, where ambition and avarice collide with fatal consequences. In the shadowy hours before dawn on December eleventh, nineteen seventy eight, a stolen black forty conoline van parked ominously outside of New York's JFK International Airport.

3:54 Speaker 3: Inside a group of men, faces hidden behind black ski masks, waited with baited breath for this signal to launch one of the most audacious and richest heists in American history. At three twelve a m. It was go time. The van backed up to the deliveries entrance of the Luftanza Airlines terminal, and the masked men, armed and resolute, made their injury. What transpired in the next sixty four minutes was a display of criminal expertise and precision. The robbers infiltrated the terminal, executed their plan with chilling efficiency, and disappeared into the night, their van now laiden with five million in untraceable cash and an additional one million in jewels.

4:34 Speaker 3: This operation marked the largest cash robbery on US soil at the time, a record that added much to the heist's infamy and its inevitable cementing into the American cultural zeitgeist. The Luftanza Heights would capture the public imagination not just for its sheer scale and execution, but also for its lasting impact on the criminal underworld. In the years that followed the highest the wave of violence and retribution swept through the ranks of those involved. The betrayal and paranoia that followed left a trail of bodies as key figures connected to the heist were systematically eliminated.

5:12 Speaker 3: Remarkably, despite the magnitude of the crime and its bloody aftermath, only one individual was ever imprisoned in connection to the heist. This singular conviction underscores the complexity of the criminal network behind the operation and the challenges faced by law enforcement in unraveling the full extent of the plot. Just over a decade later, the story of the Luftanza heist would be etched forever into popular culture through Martin Scorsese's nineteen ninety film Goodfellas, which dramatized the events and characters involved and offered a glimpse into the intricate web of loyalties and betrayals within the world of organized crime.

5:51 Speaker 3: However, the Luftanza heist was a crime emblematic of its era, and indeed it seems implausible in today's world marked by advance security and surveillance technologies. However, in the New York of the nineteen seventies, the landscape was vastly different, shaped significantly by the pervasive influence of the mafia. For this was a time when the American cosinostra was that the apex of its power. This period, from the nineteen seventies into the early eighties represented a peak in criminal activity in New York City, much of it orchestrated under the aegis of the Five Families of the New York Mafia.

6:29 Speaker 3: These families Bonano, Colombo, Gambino, Genovesi, and Luksi held sway over large swaths of the city. Their influence was so profound that they were implicated in almost every major crime of the era. Central to the story of the Luftanza heist was the luks family, in particular an associate named Jimmy Burke, who emerged as the mastermind behind the daring operation. Burke's depiction by Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway and Goodfellows brought a cinematic flare to his real life persona, highlighting his unique position within the mafia hierarchy.

7:05 Speaker 3: You see, Burke as an Irish American stood apart in the predominantly Italian American mafia. This distinction barred him from becoming a made man, a formal member of the mafia family, but it also afforded him a degree of autonomy uncommon among his peers. Unable to be formally inducted due to his heritage, Burke instead navigated the criminal landscape as a sort of free agent, unbound by the strict allegiances that often defined the lives of mafia associates. His early life saw him gravitating toward the Luksey family, becoming an influential associate who worked the streets on their behalf.

7:40 Speaker 3: It was this blend of outsider status and deep integration within the Luczy family operations that positioned Jimmy Burke to orchestrate the Luftanza heist. His role in the audacious robbery underscored not just his criminal acumen, but also the complex dynamics of mafia affiliations and the power str ructures. During one of the most turbulent periods in New York City's criminal history, the genesis of the Luftanza highst unfolded in an unassuming setting, Roberts Lounge. This tavern nestled in the Ozone Park neighborhood, of Queen's and owned by Jimmy Burke, was more than just a local watering hole.

8:18 Speaker 3: It was a clandestine nexus for criminals, a place where illicit deals were broker and nefarious plans hatched. It was in this den of iniquity that a pivotal meeting took place, setting the stage for the historic heist. Burke's associate Henry Hill, later immortalized by Rayleiota and Goodfellows by godwa Performance encountered a book maker named Martin Krugman at Roberts Lodge. This meeting would prove to be faithful. It was Krugman who unwittingly planted the seeds for the Luftanza heist. Krugman relayed information to Hill that was too enticing to ignore, a stash of six million and untraceable cash and jewelry ripe for the taking of the John F. Kennedy International Area.

9:00 Speaker 3: This intel came from Lewis Warner, a JFK Airport worker indebted to Krugman. Warner had revealed that the Luftanza Airlines terminal housed a vault used for transporting and storing large sums of currency. The cash flown in monthly from West Germany represented the accumulated monetary exchanges from servicemen and tourists. This regular influx of untraceable American currency was a tantalizing target. Jimmy Burke's interest was further peaked by the knowledge that such a heist was feasible. Warner himself had previously pilfered twenty two thousand from a Lufton's vault.

9:35 Speaker 3: Sensing an opportunity of unprecedented scale, Burke agreed to orchestrate the heist for the Luks family. Over the ensuing months, a meticulous plan was crafted. Burke, Warner, Krugman, and the other associates, leveraging their knowledge of the airport's layout in security protocols, devised a strategy. Warner's inside information was invaluable, offering specifics on where to park, the optimal time for injury, and the duration of their stay inside the terminal. This planning phase marked the careful orchestration of what would become one of the most audacious thefts in American history.

10:10 Speaker 3: Each detail, from the timing to the logistics was methodically plotted, setting the stage for a heist that would reverberate through the annals of crime. And forever change the landscape of organized criminal activity. As the plan took shape, Jimmy Burke meticulously assembled a crew that would be capable of carrying out this daring robbery. The team comprised a blend of seasoned criminals from the Lucsey family, an ally from the Gambino family, and close associates of Burke himself. Tommy de Simone, portrayed as Tommy DeVito by Joe Peshi and Goodfellows, was a key player in this ensemble.

10:43 Speaker 3: Alongside him were Angelo Seppi, Lewis Kefora, Jo Civitello Senior, Tony Rodriguez, Joseph m Costa, Joe Manry, and Robert McMahon from the Luczy family. Pallo Lucastri, representing the Gambino family, was also roped in, signifying the heist's cross family collaboration. Additionally, Burke's own son, Frank, and an associate named Parnell stax Edwards were chosen for crucial driving roles. The plan was precise. De Simone, Seppe, Kufora, Civatello, Rodriguez, Costa, Manry and McMahon, and le Castri would execute the heist.

11:19 Speaker 3: They would operate in a stolen Ford a conoline van driven by Edwards. Frank Burke's role was equally crucial. He would be stationed outside the airport in a crash car, ready to intervene and obstruct any police vehicles that might threaten the operation. In other words, it was his job to crash into any cop cars that might show up. Beyond the core team, other associates also played vital roles. Paul Verio, the under boss of the Lukeesy family portrayed by Paul Sorbino and Goodfellas, delegated his son Paul Junior, to oversee the acquisition of their share of the loot.

11:53 Speaker 3: Vincent Asaro, a crime crew chief from the Bonano family, was also involved. Vincent's inclusion under score the heist's territorial implications, as the crime would occur on Bonano turf. Jimmy Burke, the orchestrator of this grand scheme, would oversee the operation from a distance. His role extended beyond the planning and execution. He was also tasked with managing the aftermath, ensuring that all loose ends were tied up, a responsibility that hinted at the darker aspects of the heists fallout.

12:23 Speaker 3: This assembly of criminal talents, drawn from various factions of New York's mafia landscape, highlighted the extensive reach and influence of organized crime during this era in the nineteen seventies. The heist was not just a testament to their criminal prowess, but also an illustration of the complex interplay of alliances and territories within the mafia's larger structure. In the early hours of December eleventh, nineteen seventy eight, it was go time. The stolen ford o'conoline van, as meticulously planned, parked outside of the Luftanza terminal at JFK Airport.

13:00 Speaker 3: The heist was triggered when cargo agent carried Whalen, sensing something amiss, approached the van. His decision to investigate set in motion a series of events that unfolded with terrifying efficiency. Whalen was quickly subdued, pistol whipped, and dragged into the van. The assailants, demonstrating their willingness to go to any lengths, rifled through his wallet and threatened his family. Whalen had no choice but to comply with their demands. The situation escalated when another agent drawn by the disturbance, arrived at the loading dock, he walked into an ambush.

13:32 Speaker 3: Six masked men, armed and ready, swiftly overpowered him. Utilizing a key provided by Lewis Warner, the insider who had facilitated the heist, the robbers gained access to the building and swiftly rounded up the remaining employees, hurting them into a break room. Whalen, bloody and battered, served as a stark warning to the hostages of the robbers deadly seriousness. The next phase involved Rudy Elrich, a senior cargo agent. Warner had informed the robbers that Elrich was the only individual capable of navigating the vault's complex two door system.

14:02 Speaker 3: Summoned under the ruse of a technical issue with the cargo, Elrich found himself coerced into opening the vault. The team's knowledge of the vault's security system was surprisingly thorough, a testament to Warner's detailed briefing. The double door system was a crucial hurdle. Any error could trigger an alarm, instantly locking down the airport. The procedure required the first door to be unlocked, opened, and then re locked before the second door could be opened. This process had to be reversed upon exit to ensure everything when according to plan, The robbers had Elrich open the first door and then wait with them in the chamber between the doors while they assessed the cargo.

14:39 Speaker 3: This sequence of events highlighted not just the careful planning and execution of the heights, but also a level of inside knowledge that the robbers possessed. Each step was calculated to avoid detection and ensure a swift escape, painting a picture of a heist that was as meticulously orchestrated as it was brutally executed. In the tense moments within the Luftanza terminal, the robbery reached its climax. Rudy Elrich, coerced at gunpoint, lay prone on the ground, witness to the meticulous theft unfolding before him.

15:07 Speaker 3: The robbers, with clinical precisions, sifted through cargo manifests, carefully selecting their targets. Out of the multitude of parcels they earmarked about forty for theft, each chosen for its value. With their lute identified, Elrich was compelled to unlock the second door of the vault. The cargo now destined to be part of one of the most significant heights in US history, was methodically moved into the chamber and secured. The final act of the robbery was executed with the same cold efficiency that had marked its beginning.

15:37 Speaker 3: Once the outer door of the vault was unlocked, one of the assailants escorted Elrich back to the break room, where he rejoined the other employees who remained under strict guard. By four sixteen a m. The task was complete. All the selected cargo had been loaded into the waiting Econo line van. The Luftanza employees, under threat of severe retribution against their families and loved ones, were instructed not to contact the authorities until four to thirty am. This directive provided Burke's men a critical fifteen minute window to make their escape.

16:08 Speaker 3: Fearing for their own lives and the lives of the ones that they loved, the employees adhered to their captor's orders, waiting fourteen minutes before raising the alarm. When they finally did call for help at four thirty am, Burke's crew was nowhere to be seen. In those sixty four minutes, the Luftonza heights had been executed flawlessly. The crew had managed to abscond with an estimated five million dollars in cash and an additional approximately one million in jewelry. The magnitude of the heist was unprecedented, and for the moment they had evaded capture, the heist not only demonstrated the ingenuity and audacity of Burke and his team, but also underscored the limitations of security measures at the time.

16:47 Speaker 3: The success of the operation, at least initially, would go on to become a legend in the criminal underworld and a haunting reminder of the era's vulnerability to such organized crime activities. But then the Lufton's heist, which had been executed with such precision and cunning, was on the verge of unraveling due to a single reckless mistake. Parnell stax Edwards, one of Burke's men, had been given a crucial yet seemingly simple task to dispose of the forda'conoline van used in the heist. This task was vital to ensure that no traces led back to the perpetrators.

17:23 Speaker 3: However, stax Edwards's actions following the successful heist would prove to be a fatal misstep. On December thirteenth, two days after the robbery, a seemingly innocuous event triggered the beginning of the unraveling. A police officer in Canarsi, Brooklyn reported a large van parked illegally. The van's description matched the one provided by the Luftanza employees, sending a potential lead. Police investigators and fingerprint experts converged on the location, impounding what they believed to be the same vehicle spotted at JFK Airport.

17:55 Speaker 3: The forensic examination of the van led to a significant breakthrough. Finger prints were identified as belonging to Parnell Edwards. This discovery inadvertently connected the heist to Burke's crew, a connection that would otherwise have remained concealed. However, Edwards would never face police questioning he'd already been eliminated by Jimmy Burke belying his nickname Jimmy the Gent by murdering Edwards for his blunder. Parnell edwards deviation from the plan was marked by a series of misjudgments and misjudgments is putting it lightly more like fatal errors.

18:31 Speaker 3: Instead of immediately taking the car to a car compactor in New Jersey, as instructed, he decided to visit his girlfriend's house in Canarsi. His next decision to indulge in marijuana, purportedly smoking two joints, then drinking a bunch of booze and doing cocaine led Edwards to carelessly park the van in a no parking zone and subsequently pass out forgetting about the vehicle entirely. This lapse in judgment by Edwards not only cost him his life, but also signaled the beginning of the end for the secrecy surrounding the Luftanza heist.

19:04 Speaker 3: It was a stark reminder that even the most meticulously planned crimes can unravel due to a single act of carelessness, turning what would have been a quote perfect crime into a pathway leading investigators closer to the truth. In the aftermath of the Luftanza Highst and the critical mistake made by Edwards, Jimmy Burke, the Heighst's mastermind, was thrust into a state of deep paranoia and urgency. Facing the prospect of his meticulously executed plan unraveling and the imminent threat of police scrutiny, Burke resorted to a chilling strategy to ensure the continued secrecy of the operation, a ruthless elimination of potential informants.

19:44 Speaker 3: Henry Hill, that's Raeliota from Goodfellas, who later turned into a crucial witness for the government, offered a harrowing account of Burke's reaction. Hill depicted Burke as consumed by anxiety following the discovery of the van and the rapid progress of the investigation by the FBI, which within three days had identified Burke and his crew as the prime suspects. Driven by a desperate need to protect himself, Burke, according to Hill, was determined to silence anyone who could potentially link him to the heist.

20:13 Speaker 3: This vow marked the beginning of a brutal and systematic campaign of elimination. The retribution began with Stax Edwards, the man whose blunder had jeopardized the entire operation. Edwards was murdered in his apartment by Tommy de Simone and Angelo Seppi, two of Burke's trusted associates. Following Edwards, Martin Krugman, the bookmaker who had initially provided the tip off about the Luftanza cargo, meant a similar fate, but Burke's wrath didn't stop with these initial targets. Over the next six months, several members of the heist crew, as well as some of their immediate family members, were either killed or disappeared.

20:50 Speaker 3: This list of victims included Frank Burke, Jimmy's own son. The killings were carried out either directly by Burke or orchestrated through his associates. The wave of violence underscored the brutal lengths to which Burke was willing to go to maintain the secrecy surrounding the heist. It painted a bloody picture of the mafia's internal dynamics, where loyalty was secondary to self preservation and human life was expendable in the face of potential exposure. The Luftanza heist, initially hailed as a master stroke of criminal planning, thus descended into a dark saga of betrayal and bloodshed, erasing almost all direct links to one of the most significant robberies in American history.

21:30 Speaker 3: The aftermath of the heist, marked by Jimmy Burke's ruthless elimination of almost all involved, led to an ironic twist. Despite the magnitude of the crime, very few faced legal repercussions directly tied to the heist. Forty five years later, now the record shows that only one individual served time for direct involvement in the robbery. Lewis Werner, the JFK airport worker whose inside information was crucial to the highest execution, was arrested four months after the event. He was convicted for his role in providing layout details of the terminal to the robbers.

22:05 Speaker 3: In May nineteen seventy nine. Werner received a sentence of fifteen years in prison, a punishment that stood in stark contrast to the fates of his co conspirators, most of whom meant violent inns. Henry Hill, a key associate in the heist, found himself in a precarious position by nineteen eighty when he was arrested for narcotics trafficking. Fearing that Jimmy Burke would eliminate him to prevent any possibility of cooperation with the authorities, Hill decided to become proactive to do what he could to protect his life.

22:34 Speaker 3: He chose to become an informant. Hill's decision to collaborate with the FBI in exchange for protection marked a significant turning point. His extensive knowledge about Burke, Varrio, and others within the mafia proved invaluable. His testimony led to several convictions, and for his own safety, Hill entered the witness Protection program, effectively vanishing from the public eye. Both Paul Varrio and Jimmy Burke's significant figures in the criminal enterprise, eventually faced imprisonment. However, their convictions were unrelated to the Luftanza heist.

23:07 Speaker 3: Varrio was apprehended on charges of racketeering, gambling, and loan sharking, while Burke was caught for his involvement in a college basketball point shaving scandal. Both men died in prison, with Vario passing away in nineteen eighty eight and Burke in nineteen ninety six. The Luftanza heist, despite its grand scale and the intense investigation that followed, resulted in surprisingly few direct legal consequences for those involved. The majority of the participants were either murdered or disappeared, and those who did face the law were convicted on unrelated charges.

23:39 Speaker 3: This outcome highlights the complex and often elusive nature of organized crime and the challenges faced by law enforcement in bringing such perpetrators to justice. In twenty fourteen, a significant development occurred in the long dormant case, with the arrest of Vincent desarro A reputed figure in the Banano crime family. This arrest came thirty six years after the infamous heist at JFK Airport. Asorrow, then seventy eight years old, faced trial in connection with the heist, stirring renewed interest in a case steeped in mafia lore and unsolved mysteries.

24:14 Speaker 3: However, his trial did not lead to a conviction for a Sorrow. Despite the charges, he staunchly denied any involvement in the heist, a claim that was supported by Henry Hill before Hill's death in twenty twelve. The outcome of the trial was a Sorrow's acquittal on all charges related to the Luftanza highst leading to his release. However, a Sorrow's freedom was short lived. He was later arrested and convicted in twenty seventeen for a road rage incident, leading to an eight year prison sentence.

24:43 Speaker 3: This sequence of events paralleled the fates of other key figures connected to the Luftanza heist, notably Paul Vario and Jimmy Burke, whose incarcerations were also unrelated to the heist itself. The legal case surrounding the Luftanza heist. Despite these later develop and the eventual demise of key figures like Burke and Barrio remains one of the most infamous unsolved cases in the annals of American crime, though we essentially know what happened that night and who was involved, or at least we think we do, largely for most of us because of the movie Goodfellas.

25:17 Speaker 3: Since only Werner was ultimately imprisoned, specifically for his role in the heist, the Luftanza heist is still considered an open case, its legacy one of bloodshed, betrayal, and the seemingly impenetrable wall of silence that the mafia calls omerta, although in this case that wall of silence was certainly fortified by repeated brutal murder. So many corpses put in the ground at the paranoid behest of Jimmy Burke, and the many secrets of the Luftanza Heist buried forever alongside those who carried them until next time.

25:57 Speaker 3: I'm Zevan Odelberg, and and this has been kind of murdery.

26:03 Speaker 1: If you like the show, please subscribe to review and tell your friends. You can find us on social media at Kinda Murgury or email at Kindermurgury. At gmail dot com.