Federal agents have arrested a mobster allegedly involved in JFK Airport's massive Lufthansa heist, made even more infamous after earning a starring role in the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas. At the time, the 1978 heist was the largest cash robbery to take place on American soil, reaping $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewels for the orchestrators.
The heist's supposed main architect, James "Jimmy" Burke (played by Robert De Niro in the film), died in 1996, and only a bit player, a Lufthansa cargo agent, has been convicted in connection to the robbery. Until this morning, that is, when Feds arrested alleged gangster Vincent Asaro.
They plan to indict Asaro on racketeering charges, believing the 78-year-old was involved in the heist, although the extent of his suspected involvement has not been released. Asaro was also charged in connection with a 1979 murder, and he and son Joseph Asaro were charged with hindering an investigation into that murder.
The Feds also arrested four other suspected organized crime figures: Jermone Asaro, Jack Bonventure, Thomas Di Fiore and John Ragano. All five defendants are believed to be members of the Bonanno crime family, though only Asaro was allegedly involved in the Lufthansa heist. They will be arraigned in Federal Court in Brooklyn later today, and face a bevy of charges including murder and extortion.
