Goodfellas Suspects Arrested 35 Years After JFK Heist (2)

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

Bloomberg News

By Patricia Hurtado January 23, 2014

Five alleged members of a New York crime family were arrested by the U.S. in a case linked to the $5 million Lufthansa (LHA) heist in 1978 at John F. Kennedy International Airport recounted in the film “Goodfellas.”

The five men, who prosecutors say are members of the Bonanno crime family, were engaged in a racketeering conspiracy that dates back to Jan. 1, 1968, and continued as recently as June 30, 2013, according to an indictment unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

The conspiracy included acts of extortion, murder and the 1978 robbery of a Lufthansa Airlines plane at JFK in which about $5 million in U.S. currency and jewelry worth about $1 million was stolen.
....

According to the book “The Heist” by Ernest Volkman and John Cummings, the robbery was considered “the greatest cash robbery in American history,” larger than the armed hold-up of the Brink’s Armored Car Co. in Boston in 1950, in which $2.7 million was stolen. The authors said it remained the largest U.S. cash robbery until December 1982, when a private armored car company in New York was robbed of nearly $11 million.



Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-01-23/u-dot-s-dot-says-five-in-custody-tied-to-lufthansa-heist-case

[aristocles]

1. Goodfellas ... One of my favorites

Born in Detroit. All of my uncles were "in the life". Only one died a natural death. One of them was a dead ringer for "Jimmy The Gent". All of his suits were bespoke. Drove nothing but Cadillacs. Every time we met he'd give me a silver dollar. They're in my safety dosit box now.

[Javaman]

8. What's with the silver dollar?

my uncle had a bar in Bed-Sty that was a "front".

He would always give my brother and I a silver dollar.

[msanthrope]

2. Who the fuck tawlked? nt

[Skittles]

3. Benny

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8p1cp_wise-guys-breakfast-at-denny-s_fun

[SaveOurDemocracy]

5. Perfect!

[msanthrope]

12. OMFG...I had never seen this....nt

[jakeXT]

6. Here are some candidates

[Blue_Tires]

4. Well, Lufthansa will be happy

[OnlinePoker]

7. I was wondering why there wouldn't be a statute of limitations for this

According to wikipedia, "...if a defendant commits a series of illegal acts against another person, or, in criminal law, if someone commits a continuing crime (like molesting a child over a long period of time, which can be charged as a single offense), the period of limitation may begin to run from the last act in the series. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_limitations

So because this is a racketeering case, they can lump in every offense during the entire period of the crimes. It sounds like a great way to clear out your unsolved backlog.

[msanthrope]

11. Ongoing conspiracy under RICO...when Jimmy Hoffa is eventually dug

up...the indictments will be fresh.

[freshwest]

15. Wow. Imagining years of fraud, money laundering and worse that will come out of this. n/t

[AnneD]

17. I use to say that when I died, I had 3 questions to ask St Peter....

When would the Cubs win the series,
Where is Amelia Earhart's body,
Where is Jimmy Hoffa.

One became known recently and before I die, I would like to know the answer to the other 2.
I always figured Hoffa is the basis of some concrete building in New Jursee. Maybe the Washington Bridge.

[WilliamPitt]

9. I'm unna get the papers get the papers.

[Kingofalldems]

10. There's gonna be a heist!

[alp227]

13. NY Times article:

Arrest Made in Fabled ’78 ‘Goodfellas’ Heist

[matt819]

14. Yawn

First, who the fuck cares?

Second, what was the cost of this investigation?

Third, it looks like one of those FBI agents probably wasn't born when the crime was committed.

Fourth, who the fuck cares?

[tkmorris]

16. Go defend your lawn dude

[Paladin]

18. It's always cool when a favorite movie gets a real-life sequel.

I'd love to talk to Scorsese about this.....