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Former Mafia prosecutor Ed McDonald joins VladTV to revisit the infamous 1978 Lufthansa robbery at JFK Airport, the $6 million cash-and-jewelry heist later dramatized in Martin Scorsese’s *Goodfellas*. McDonald, who ran the Brooklyn Organized Crime Strike Force and helped convict leaders from four New York Mafia families, explains how he was assigned to the case for his wiretap and electronic surveillance experience.
He breaks down early theories involving John Gotti, the investigation into an inside Lufthansa employee, and how informants soon pointed to Lucchese associate James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke, portrayed by Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway. McDonald also discusses Henry Hill’s role, the mystery of the missing money, the small amount actually recovered, and the wave of murders tied to Burke’s efforts to silence witnesses and keep a larger cut. He also reflects on growing up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and his upcoming book, *Chasing Goodfellas*.
