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136: The Lufthansa Heist
In 1978, the headlines were filled with the news about the Lufthansa cargo bay robbery at JFK International Airport. The culprits? A group of guys tied to the New York mafia families. Join Morgan and Emileigh as they talk about the execution of the biggest airport robbery in US soil, and some unfortunate folks afterwards.
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Find us on YouTube!
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Donate to our Patreon!
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Sources
“James Burke”
https://www.alcatrazeast.com/crime-library/organized-crime/james-burke/
“Henry Hill” (updated Jun 24 2020)
https://www.biography.com/crime/henry-hill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodfellas
“Lufthansa heist” by Pat Bauer (Oct 18 2025)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Lufthansa-heist
“The Lufthansa Heist” episode, History’s Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan. Aired Feb 28 2023 on The History Channel
“How the 1978 Lufthansa Heist Let to a Trail of Dead Bodies” by Iván Román (Jan 20 2023, updated May 28 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/1978-lufthansa-heist-jfk-henry-hill-goodfellas
“Lufthansa Heist Murders: How Paranoia and Greed Led to the Deaths of 6 Mobsters and Associates” by Adam Janos (Dec 10 2018; updated Aug 21 2025)
https://www.aetv.com/articles/lufthansa-heist-murders-mafia-mobsters
“The Lufthansa Heist: The Mafia’s Greatest Robbery” by Lawrence Lease (Mar 9 2023)
https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/The-Lufthansa-Heist-The-American-Mafias-Greatest-Heist
“The Massive Real-Life Heist that Inspired ‘Goodfellas’” by Sammy Tran (May 5
https://www.factinate.com/things/biggest-cash-heist-history
“The Lufthansa Mafia Heist Trial”
https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/lufthansa-mafia-heist-trial
Sound Credits:
Shaken, Not Stirred - GLBML: Music by Geoffrey Burch from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/sneaky-shaken-not-stirred-glbml-22220/
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By illequippedhistoryIn 1978, the headlines were filled with the news about the Lufthansa cargo bay robbery at JFK International Airport. The culprits? A group of guys tied to the New York mafia families. Join Morgan and Emileigh as they talk about the execution of the biggest airport robbery in US soil, and some unfortunate folks afterwards.
Follow us on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/
Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory
Email us!
Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory
Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory
Sources
“James Burke”
https://www.alcatrazeast.com/crime-library/organized-crime/james-burke/
“Henry Hill” (updated Jun 24 2020)
https://www.biography.com/crime/henry-hill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodfellas
“Lufthansa heist” by Pat Bauer (Oct 18 2025)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Lufthansa-heist
“The Lufthansa Heist” episode, History’s Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan. Aired Feb 28 2023 on The History Channel
“How the 1978 Lufthansa Heist Let to a Trail of Dead Bodies” by Iván Román (Jan 20 2023, updated May 28 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/1978-lufthansa-heist-jfk-henry-hill-goodfellas
“Lufthansa Heist Murders: How Paranoia and Greed Led to the Deaths of 6 Mobsters and Associates” by Adam Janos (Dec 10 2018; updated Aug 21 2025)
https://www.aetv.com/articles/lufthansa-heist-murders-mafia-mobsters
“The Lufthansa Heist: The Mafia’s Greatest Robbery” by Lawrence Lease (Mar 9 2023)
https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/The-Lufthansa-Heist-The-American-Mafias-Greatest-Heist
“The Massive Real-Life Heist that Inspired ‘Goodfellas’” by Sammy Tran (May 5
https://www.factinate.com/things/biggest-cash-heist-history
“The Lufthansa Mafia Heist Trial”
https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/lufthansa-mafia-heist-trial
Sound Credits:
Shaken, Not Stirred - GLBML: Music by Geoffrey Burch from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/sneaky-shaken-not-stirred-glbml-22220/