Lufthansa heist

Lufthansa heist

Company type	Robbery
Industry	Cargo transport / Aviation theft
Founded	1978-12-11
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Products	Stolen cash and jewelry

The Lufthansa heist took place on December 11, 1978, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The theft involved approximately US$5.875 million—comprised of $5 million in cash and $875,000 worth of jewelry—making it the largest cash robbery recorded in the United States up to that point (equivalent to about US$28.32 million in 2024).

James Burke, associated with the Lucchese crime family, is widely believed to have orchestrated the robbery, though he was never officially charged. He is also thought to have been responsible for several murders of accomplices, aimed at evading legal consequences and securing their shares of the stolen assets. The only conviction related to this crime was that of Louis Werner, an airport employee who participated in the planning phase.

None of the stolen cash or jewelry has ever been recovered. Due to its magnitude, the heist remains one of the most extensively investigated crimes in U.S. history, with related arrests continuing as late as 2014; however, these efforts mostly ended in acquittals.

Planning

The scheme was reportedly devised by James Burke, a figure connected with the Lucchese crime family in New York City, and carried out by a group of his associates. The plan originated when bookmaker Martin Krugman informed Henry Hill—Burke’s associate—that Lufthansa transported currency through its cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport. This information was provided by Louis Werner, an airport employee who owed Krugman $20,000 from gambling debts, along with his colleague Peter Gruenwald. Notably, Werner and Gruenwald had previously stolen $22,000 in foreign currency from Lufthansa in 1976.

Burke chose Tommy DeSimone, Angelo Sepe, Louis Cafora, Joe Manri, Paolo LiCastri, and Robert McMahon to execute the robbery. Burke’s son Frank was assigned to serve as a backup driver, while Parnell "Stacks" Edwards was responsible for disposing of the getaway van. Each participant was promised between $10,000 and $50,000 based on an anticipated take of $2 million; however, the actual amount stolen totaled $5.875 million. Werner was guaranteed a fixed 10% cut.

Heist

At approximately 3:00 a.m. on December 11, 1978, a black Ford Econoline van carrying six individuals arrived at Lufthansa’s cargo terminal at Kennedy Airport. After using bolt cutters to remove the gate padlock, some members of the crew entered the facility wearing ski masks and gloves.

Inside, senior cargo agent John Murray was taken hostage and compelled to gather other employees who were on their meal break: Rudi Eirich (night shift cargo traffic manager), Kerry Whalen (cargo transfer agent), among others. Murray then persuaded Eirich to come upstairs to join the hostages.

Whalen observed two unmasked men sitting inside a van outside and attempted to escape but was forced into the vehicle. Employee Rolf Rebmann investigated noises near the loading dock and was also captured. The robbers then escorted Eirich at gunpoint to the vault and removed 72 cartons—each weighing fifteen pounds—containing untraceable currency before loading them into the van.

At 4:21 a.m., the van departed from the terminal with two armed men boarding it while others entered a Buick. The employees were instructed not to notify Port Authority Police until 4:30 a.m., when emergency services were finally alerted. The robbers rendezvoused with Burke at an auto repair shop located in Canarsie, Brooklyn, where they transferred the money into two separate vehicles. Burke and his son left in one car; Manri, McMahon, DeSimone, and Sepe departed in another.

Investigation

Edwards was instructed to transport the van to a junkyard in New Jersey associated with John Gotti for destruction, but instead left it parked unlawfully at his girlfriend’s residence. Two days later, law enforcement discovered the black Ford van, seized it, and matched Edwards’ fingerprints to the robbery.

Following this, Lucchese capo Paul Vario ordered DeSimone to eliminate Edwards. After locating him, DeSimone and Sepe executed Edwards with five shots to the head.

Within three days, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the Burke crew as suspects due to the van’s recovery and Edwards’ connections to them at Robert's Lounge. The FBI intensified surveillance efforts, including helicopter monitoring and wiretapping phones at Robert’s Lounge and nearby payphones. Although they recorded incriminating discussions mentioning Lufthansa loot, they lacked sufficient evidence to obtain search warrants.

Burke grew increasingly paranoid about the attention drawn by Edwards’ errors and commanded hits on associates who might serve as witnesses. As a result, only a few individuals remained who could directly implicate Burke or his crew in the heist. Eventually, authorities amassed enough proof to convict Werner, a planner of the robbery; he was sentenced to 15 years in 1979.

Victim Whalen identified Sepe from police photographs. Eirich disclosed that the robbers possessed detailed knowledge of vault security measures, including a double-door alarm system, which ensured they avoided triggering alarms during the heist.

Vincent Asaro, a Bonanno family capo, was arrested in 2014 for alleged involvement in the Lufthansa heist, partly based on testimony from former boss Joseph Massino. Asaro was acquitted of all charges in 2015. For additional details, see 2014 Lufthansa heist accusations.

The stolen money and jewelry have never been recovered.

Murders of heist associates

Aware that Edwards’ failure to dispose of the van exposed the crew, Burke ordered the elimination of anyone who could potentially incriminate him. Edwards was the first casualty, killed on December 18 by DeSimone and Sepe. This marked the beginning of a series of murders targeting co-conspirators and acquaintances under Burke’s directive.

Victim	Date	Details
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Blues musician and driver of the getaway van. Executed by DeSimone and Sepe for failing to dispose of the vehicle and posing a risk of informing authorities.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Associate of Burke and Hill; owned "For Men Only" wig shop and salon in Queens. Krugman alerted Burke to the Lufthansa heist opportunity but was later dismembered by Burke and Sepe after demanding his $500,000 share amid fears he might notify the FBI. His remains were never found; legally declared dead in 1986. His wife received $135,000 from life insurance.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Florida-based con man who stole $250,000 from Burke via a fake cocaine scheme. He was tortured and murdered by Burke; his body was discovered hogtied inside a meat freezer truck. Burke was convicted for Eaton’s murder in 1985 and sentenced to 20 years.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Florida restaurateur linked with Eaton; owned The Players Club frequented by Burke’s crew. Accused by Burke of conspiring in a fake cocaine deal and embezzling laundered funds.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Brooklyn parking lot owner and money launderer hired by Burke. His ostentatious lifestyle and sharing mob secrets with his wife led to both being murdered on Burke’s orders. His body was never recovered.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Wife of Louis Cafora; presumed killed alongside him.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Night-shift supervisor at Air France cargo who assisted in planning the heist. Despite repeated offers of witness protection, he declined. Found shot execution-style alongside Robert McMahon five months after the heist.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Night-shift Air France supervisor involved in a prior Air France robbery; suspected co-planner of Lufthansa heist. Discovered executed alongside Manri.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Sicilian-born Pizza Connection drug trafficker serving as Gambino family liaison overseeing their $200,000 share. Found naked and riddled with bullets on a burning trash heap six months post-heist.

Other individuals connected but killed without Burke’s orders:

Victim	Date	Details
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Participant in 1967 Air France robbery; vanished after killing two Gambino members; presumed murdered.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Occasional mistress of DeSimone and associate of Eaton and Monteleone; her dismembered torso was found months later.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Lucchese family member responsible for numerous post-heist killings; murdered along with his girlfriend by Lucchese hit squad following a drug trafficker robbery.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Sepe’s 19-year-old girlfriend; shot once in the mouth.
Template:Sortname	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting || Jimmy Burke’s son believed involved in the heist; killed by his drug dealer over a heroin dispute.

Informants

• Janet Barbieri, who was Louis Werner's girlfriend and later his wife, provided testimony against Werner before a grand jury.
• William Fischetti, a taxi dispatch business owner and relative of organized crime figures, was implicated in the trafficking of stolen bearer bonds.
• Peter Gruenwald, the coordinator behind the Lufthansa heist, gave evidence against Louis Werner.
• Frank Menna, a numbers-runner, became a target for Sepe and Daniel Rizzo due to the shortcomings of his superior, Martin Krugman.
• Louis Werner, an accountant based in Manhattan involved in laundering money.

In April 1980, Hill was detained on drug-related charges unrelated to the heist. Concerned about potential assassination attempts by former associates Vario and Burke, he chose to cooperate with authorities. Subsequently entering the Witness Protection Program along with his family, Hill played a key role in securing convictions against Vario and Burke for offenses other than the Lufthansa robbery.

Adaptations

The Lufthansa heist served as the basis for two television movies: The 10 Million Dollar Getaway (1991) and The Big Heist (2001), while also being a significant plot element in the film Goodfellas (1990).

See also

• List of large-value robberies in the United States
• Toronto Pearson International Airport heist, a 2023 grand theft incident at an Air Canada Cargo facility