The Lufthansa Heist Loot
On the eleventh of December 1978, the Lufthansa terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport on Long Island was robbed of an estimated $5 million in cash and about $875,000 in jewelry by thieves working for the Lucchese crime family of New York. The robbery was a central part of the film Goodfellas, which more or less depicted its aftermath accurately. It has been the topic of books, films, and documentaries ever since. Its chief planner, Jimmy Burke, began a campaign to kill most of the other persons involved in the robbery, in order to keep as much of the loot as possible, after paying the necessary “tribute” to the mob bosses who okayed the theft.
Although there have been claims made by various former mafia members who turned into government informants about what happened to the money and jewels, none have been verified and the money has never been found. Jimmy Burke never disclosed its location, or locations, during his lifetime, or if he did the person or persons never repeated it to anyone in law enforcement. In the days immediately after the crime wiretaps led investigators to suspect that the money, or at least part of it, was buried on properties frequented by Burke’s crew, but they were unable to get enough evidence to obtain a search warrant.
Jimmy Burke, after ordering the killings of virtually anyone capable of connecting him to the Lufthansa robbery, was imprisoned for his involvement in the Boston College points shaving scandal. While in prison he was convicted for an earlier murder. He died in prison of lung cancer. He never revealed where the money was hidden, and the jewels, which could have in many cases been identified by their rightful owners, have never surfaced. The only portion of the money known to have been distributed was the tribute. In a 2015 trial, one of the surviving participants in the robbery was heard on tape complaining that nobody involved ever saw any of the money.
In 2014 a former mob member and then informant claimed that some of the money was placed by Burke in a safety deposit box, with the keys put in the hands of Burke’s two daughters. Burke’s son-in-law, Anthony Indelicato. According to the tale the mob used one daughter to finance a planned animated movie, which was never made, and once the box had been opened it was easy to routinely remove chunks of cash, most of which was lost in gambling casinos. Law enforcement personnel familiar with the case and the alleged participants considered the story to be completely false.
So it’s still out there somewhere, cash and jewels totaling almost $6 million dollars and possibly more now, given the price of gold and silver today in comparison to 1978. Whoever knows where it is, if anyone does know that most of the criminals involved are dead, isn’t talking. Although most of the bills would now be treated with suspicion due to changes in the appearance of American currency, they remain legal tender. Somewhere probably around New York or New Jersey is a pile of stolen, but entirely untraceable cash exceeding $4 million dollars, since some of it was a tribute, and some undoubtedly spent by Jimmy Burke.