Goodfellas showed the early stages of the planning of the Lufthansa heist and the aftermath of it, including the clues left by some of the crew that should have led to their arrest – but why was no one charged for the Lufthansa heist? Based on Nicholas Pileggi’s nonfiction book Wiseguy, Goodfellas is based on the true story of mob associate Henry Hill, chronicling his rise and fall as part of the Lucchese crime family.

During his time with the mob, Henry Hill became acquainted with some notable names from the criminal underworld, such as Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and Jimmy “The Gent” Conway (Robert De Niro). Henry was also involved in various criminal activities, mostly with Tommy and Jimmy, and while he wasn’t part of the crew that made the Lufthansa heist possible, he was a key player in it as he helped plan the whole robbery. Although the heist was carefully planned, a couple of mistakes were made, and yet no one from Jimmy’s crew was charged for it, even though it’s widely known that Paulie’s crew were the ones involved in it.

Related: Goodfellas: Why Tommy Was Killed (But Henry & Jimmy Weren't)

Why Only One Person Was Charged For The Lufthansa Heist

Goodfellas Harry Lufthansa heist

The Lufthansa heist took place at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 11, 1978, and it became the largest cash robbery in the US at the time. The planning of the heist began when bookmaker Martin Krugman (Morrie Kessler in Goodfellas) told Henry Hill that Lufthansa flew in currency to its cargo terminal at the JFK airport, having heard about this from Louis Werner, a worker at the airport who owed Krugman money, and his co-worker Peter Gruenwald. The rest of the plan for the Lufthansa heist is attributed to Jimmy Burke (Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas), who formed the team that included Tommy DeSimone (Tommy DeVito in the movie) and Angelo Sepe (Frankie Carbone). However, only Louis Werner was convicted for the robbery in 1979 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Although Burke had carefully planned every step of the heist, there was one big mistake. Parnell “Stacks” Edwards, who was tasked with getting rid of the van they used, failed to do so and the police discovered the van two days after the heist. Thanks to fingerprints lifted from the van, the FBI identified Burke’s crew as likely perpetrators, and while they set up heavy surveillance and followed them incessantly, the material they got wasn’t enough to make a definitive connection between Burke’s crew and the heist. However, there was enough evidence to prosecute Werner for helping to plan the robbery, while Burke, paranoid about getting caught, ordered the murder of many of his associates and planners, as seen in Goodfellas.

In 2014, Vincent Asaro, a member of the Bonanno crime family, was arrested in conjunction with an indictment charging him with involvement in the heist, with his cousin, Gaspare Valenti, testifying against him. However, author Daniel Simone, who wrote the book The Lufthansa Heist with Henry Hill, reported that Hill told him Asaro had no involvement with the robbery, and after further investigation, Asaro was acquitted of all charges connected to the Lufthansa heist in 2015.

How Accurate Is Goodfellas’ Depiction Of The Lufthansa Heist

Goodfellas Lufthansa Heist Jimmy Tommy

In both Goodfellas and real life, Jimmy Burke is considered the mastermind of the robbery, and the crew is pretty much the same, though in real life, Burke’s son, Frank, was also part of it as he was tasked with driving one of the backup vehicles. However, Goodfellas doesn’t show the heist, focusing only on the early stages of planning, the crew Burke got together, and the aftermath of it. Goodfellas showed the moments when the bodies of some of Burke’s associates were discovered, and that’s all there is to it addressing the heist. As Henry Hill wasn’t part of the Lufthansa crew, Goodfellas didn’t show the robbery because it didn’t really have to, but the aftermath was as interesting as the heist itself.

Next: Goodfellas: Every Character Who Dies (& Why)