Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Lufthansa heist that inspired Goodfellas finally solved

At the time, it was the biggest cash robbery ever committed in the United States. Not the daring 1978 Lufthansa heist at New York's JFK International Airport that inspired Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. I'm talking about Goodfellas not being the #1 box office earner of 1990 and one of the biggest grossing films of all time!

Today there's action. In a series of orchestrated pre-dawn raids conducted early this morning in New York, five reputed members of the Bonanno crime family were arrested and charged with crimes including racketeering and murder in connection with the long-unsolved caper.

Sponsored
Sponsored
James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke

The scheme was the brainchild of James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke, the stimulus behind Robert De Niro's character "Jimmy Conway." Burke learned of millions in untraceable American currency flown in once a month. To Burke and his crew, JFK International was better than Citibank. The money, used in West German monetary exchanges, was earmarked for military servicemen and tourists.

The information was leaked by an airport employee $20,000 in debt to the mob. The one-day take: a whopping $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry. It was at the time the biggest cash heist ever committed on American soil.

Vincent Asaro

Burke went to the big shine box in the sky in 1996 while doing time for the eradication of a drug dealer. It appeared as if the case was going to be placed on the eternal "pay-no-mind" list. For over 30 years one dog went one way, the other dog went the other way and the case continued to baffle authorities.

Did you really think the bulls were gonna' let 'em get away with this? What's the world coming to?

Last summer, almost 20 years after Burke's death, the Feds raid the residence of one of the hood's relatives and turn up fresh evidence in the form of human remains found lying around the house.

John E. Roastbeef

Bonanno kingpin, Vincent Asaro, 78, was taken into custody this morning at his home in Queens. Rounding out the corrupt quintet are Asaro's son, Jerome, Jack Bonventre, Thomas Di Fiore and John "Bazoo" Ragano. Johnny Roast Beef is still at large.

According to officials, the five are charged with multiple crimes, including racketeering and extortion for crimes unrelated to the heist. The goodfellas are scheduled to be arraigned later today.

And that's that.

Source: Chicago Tribune.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Next Article

The vicious cycle of Escondido's abandoned buildings

City staff blames owners for raising rents

At the time, it was the biggest cash robbery ever committed in the United States. Not the daring 1978 Lufthansa heist at New York's JFK International Airport that inspired Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. I'm talking about Goodfellas not being the #1 box office earner of 1990 and one of the biggest grossing films of all time!

Today there's action. In a series of orchestrated pre-dawn raids conducted early this morning in New York, five reputed members of the Bonanno crime family were arrested and charged with crimes including racketeering and murder in connection with the long-unsolved caper.

Sponsored
Sponsored
James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke

The scheme was the brainchild of James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke, the stimulus behind Robert De Niro's character "Jimmy Conway." Burke learned of millions in untraceable American currency flown in once a month. To Burke and his crew, JFK International was better than Citibank. The money, used in West German monetary exchanges, was earmarked for military servicemen and tourists.

The information was leaked by an airport employee $20,000 in debt to the mob. The one-day take: a whopping $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry. It was at the time the biggest cash heist ever committed on American soil.

Vincent Asaro

Burke went to the big shine box in the sky in 1996 while doing time for the eradication of a drug dealer. It appeared as if the case was going to be placed on the eternal "pay-no-mind" list. For over 30 years one dog went one way, the other dog went the other way and the case continued to baffle authorities.

Did you really think the bulls were gonna' let 'em get away with this? What's the world coming to?

Last summer, almost 20 years after Burke's death, the Feds raid the residence of one of the hood's relatives and turn up fresh evidence in the form of human remains found lying around the house.

John E. Roastbeef

Bonanno kingpin, Vincent Asaro, 78, was taken into custody this morning at his home in Queens. Rounding out the corrupt quintet are Asaro's son, Jerome, Jack Bonventre, Thomas Di Fiore and John "Bazoo" Ragano. Johnny Roast Beef is still at large.

According to officials, the five are charged with multiple crimes, including racketeering and extortion for crimes unrelated to the heist. The goodfellas are scheduled to be arraigned later today.

And that's that.

Source: Chicago Tribune.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader