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Part 1: Ed McDonald on Prosecuting $6M Mafia Lufthansa Heist, Featured in "Goodfellas" Movie
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Former federal prosecutor Ed McDonald breaks down the stalled investigation into the 1978 Lufthansa heist, the Jimmy Burke crew, and the long road to getting Henry Hill to cooperate. McDonald details failed FBI surveillance, a noisy bug in Angelo Seppi’s Thunderbird, and how Lufthansa insiders Peter Gruenwald and Lou Werner led investigators toward the robbery’s origins. He also revisits the Goodfellas connection through Marty Krugman, Queens Boulevard, and the murders of Joe Maneri and “Frenchy” McMahon in Canarsie.
As the case went cold, McDonald moved on to prosecutions involving Colombo boss Alphonse Persico and the Abscam corruption probe—until Steve Carbone alerted him that Hill had been arrested by the Nassau County DA on narcotics charges. Facing serious prison time, danger from Jimmy Burke, and pressure involving his wife, Hill entered cooperation in May 1980, ultimately opening the door to revelations about Boston College basketball game fixing.
