The Lufthansa Heist
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | August 1, 2015 |
| Founder | Daniel Simone, Henry Hill |
| Products | Narrative Non-Fiction book |
| Parent | Lyons Press (division of Rowman & Littlefield) |
The Lufthansa Heist: Unveiling the Six-Million-Dollar Cash Robbery That Captivated the World is a factual account authored by Daniel Simone and Henry Hill, released by Lyons Press, a division of Rowman & Littlefield, on August 1, 2015.
Development
The concept for the Lufthansa narrative was initially proposed by Simone to Henry Hill, who consented, initiating an intensive two-year series of interviews. To corroborate Hill’s version of events, Simone worked closely with FBI agents Steve Carbone and Ed Guevara, who spearheaded the original Lufthansa investigation, as well as with Ed McDonald, the U.S. Attorney responsible for the prosecution. Simone also undertook independent inquiries, engaging former Mafia affiliates indirectly connected to the heist. Valuable perspectives were provided by New York Police Detective Joe Coffey. To ensure factual integrity, Simone examined court documents, extensive news reports, and pertinent televised documentaries. The book features a Foreword penned by retired FBI Agent Steve Carbone and an Afterword authored by Agent Ed Guevara.
Writing style
Daniel Simone crafted The Lufthansa Heist within the framework of Narrative Non-Fiction, a literary form that combines real-life events with storytelling techniques such as dramatization, character portrayal, and vivid scene descriptions to create a cinematic experience. This approach, popularized by Truman Capote through In Cold Blood, merges journalistic accuracy with narrative flair.
Storyline
The book chronicles the 1978 theft at the Lufthansa Airline cargo facility located at Kennedy Airport, recognized as the largest cash robbery in history where the stolen funds were never recovered.
In 1967, Hill collaborated with an Air France cargo supervisor to break into their secure vault, absconding with $480,000 (equivalent to roughly $5 million today). Although $30,000 was lost in a subsequent robbery that same night, this act significantly boosted Hill’s standing within the Lucchese Crime Family. Over subsequent years, Hill and his associates engaged in various illicit activities including thefts, extortion schemes, and airline cargo hijackings.
Following his release from prison in 1978 after serving time for extortion, Hill received information from Louis Werner—a Lufthansa employee indebted to bookmaker Marty Krugman (an associate of Hill)—regarding access points to Lufthansa’s cargo facility. Werner offered this intelligence in exchange for debt relief. Krugman passed the details to Hill, who then involved crew chief Jimmy "the Gent" Burke, connected to Lucchese Capo Paul Vario.
Burke organized a team of six armed robbers from his Robert's Lounge Gang. In the early hours of December 11, 1978, they infiltrated Lufthansa Cargo Building 261 at approximately 3:00 a.m., restrained employees, disabled security systems, and seized $6 million in cash and valuables (about $42 million in today’s dollars).
Multiple law enforcement bodies—including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, NYPD, Queens District Attorney’s Office, and FBI—vied for jurisdiction over the case. This inter-agency competition impeded investigative progress until federal authorities assumed primary control.
Complications emerged when co-conspirator Stacks Edwards failed to properly dispose of the getaway vehicle; law enforcement recovered it and matched fingerprints linking suspects. In response, Burke ordered Edwards’ assassination and subsequently eliminated twelve other participants to prevent sharing profits or risking exposure through testimony.
Louis Werner was the sole individual convicted; Burke maintained distance through intermediaries, effectively shielding himself from identification by Werner or others. Werner served five years but was unable to assist authorities in apprehending principal offenders.
Simultaneously, Hill and Burke orchestrated the 1978–79 Boston College basketball point shaving scandal, recruiting athletes who manipulated game outcomes for gambling gains. The operation collapsed when Paul Mazzei absconded with $180,000 intended for wagers. In 1984, player Earnie Cobb was acquitted after trial proceedings.
Hill also faced narcotics-related charges alongside his wife and mistress. During surveillance operations, he referenced "the big Irishman in Albany," whom prosecutors mistakenly identified as Governor Hugh Carey. In pursuit of a high-profile conviction, authorities granted Hill immunity expecting incriminating evidence; however, "the big Irishman" referred to Jimmy Burke. Despite this error, Hill avoided drug charges.
Fearing betrayal by Hill, Burke planned his elimination. Anticipating this threat, Hill entered the Federal Witness Protection Program, cooperating with prosecutors against Lucchese Capo Paul Vario, Burke, and others involved. He also revealed details about those implicated in the Boston College scandal.
Ultimately, aside from Henry Hill—who became a government informant—all major figures linked to the Lufthansa heist were either murdered or died while incarcerated. Hill remained under witness protection and dedicated himself to public speaking aimed at deterring criminal conduct.
Despite thorough investigations and violent repercussions following the event, both the largest unrecovered cash theft in history and Burke’s associated murders remain unresolved cases.