The 1978 Lufthansa Heist

Murders

The aftermath of the Lufthansa Heist saw a wave of paranoia and violence among the criminals involved. Gary Arndt explains that the first victim was Stacks Edwards, whose mistake with the getaway van made him a liability. Over the next seven months, nine more people connected to the heist were murdered, including Martin Krugman and Thomas Desimone 1.

The van, which fit the description from the heist, was one of the only pieces of evidence that the police had to go on from the van. The FBI quickly identified Burke and his associates as the prime suspects because of Edwards association with Roberts Lounge. While Burke was the prime suspect, they didn't have the evidence to make an arrest. It was at this point paranoia began to set in. Burke was concerned that people would talk and the authorities would find the needed evidence. This was when the body started to pile up. The first victim was stacks Edwards. His screw up with the getaway van was the biggest loose end. So desimone and Sepe were ordered to kill him before he could talk. On December 18, a week after the robbery, he was found shot five times in the head. Over the next seven months, there were nine more murders of people who were part of or tangential to the robbery. Martin Krugman, the bookie and wig shop owner, disappeared on January 6.

--- Gary Arndt

The violence extended to those who flaunted their wealth or were suspected of turning state's witness, leading to a trail of bodies across New York 1.

   

Investigation

The investigation into the Lufthansa Heist was extensive but yielded few convictions. Gary Arndt notes that Henry Hill, fearing for his life, entered the witness protection program and later wrote a book that became the basis for the film Goodfellas. Most of the key figures either ended up murdered or imprisoned for unrelated crimes 2.

Of the reasons why he entered the Wynton's protection program was because he was concerned that Burke was going to try to kill him, just like he killed so many other people associated with the heist. Hill wrote a book that documented the robbery, which is how we know most of what we do. His book, Wise Life in a Mafia Family became the basis for the 1990 film Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese. Almost everyone else who wasnt murdered directly because of the robbery ended up murdered or imprisoned for unrelated reasons in the years that followed. Angelo Sapie was murdered in 1994, along with his girlfriend, Lucchese capo. Paul Varro, who approved the plan, was sent to prison in 1984, and he died there in 1989. James Burke, the mastermind of the plan, was arrested in 1980 because of a Boston college basketball point shaving scandalous while in prison. He was also convicted of murder. He died in prison in 1996 from cancer at the age of 64.

--- Gary Arndt

Despite the FBI's efforts, only one person was fully prosecuted for the robbery, and none of the stolen money or jewels were ever recovered 2.