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It's supposed to be easy:
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00:00:03,167 --> 00:00:04,958
Get in... get out.
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Get rich.
Nobody gets hurt.
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00:00:08,042 --> 00:00:12,333
Each airline had
their own cargo vaults.
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There's a lot of money
and a lot of valuables.
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But when New York mobsters
go after the millions
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00:00:18,208 --> 00:00:20,958
in Lufthansa's cargo area...
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If anybody's seen
that movie, "Goodfellas,"
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this is the way it happened.
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Nothing goes to plan.
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If anything goes wrong,
they're dead.
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Like, he wanted
something to go wrong.
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An inside job with
more than a few twists.
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It's shocking and violent.
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The Lufthansa heist
is definitely
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00:00:40,792 --> 00:00:43,667
one of the deadliest robberies
that's ever been committed.
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♪ ♪
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It was about staying alive.
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♪ ♪
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The masterminds
behind every great heist
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see what most people don't...
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♪ ♪
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Risking everything to pull
off the score of a lifetime.
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It takes a bold plan...
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the right team...
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and the skill to stay
one step ahead of the law.
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[jazzy music]
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♪ ♪
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[rock music]
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♪ ♪
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John F. Kennedy
International Airport,
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one of the busiest cargo
terminals in the world,
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and the largest in the US.
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It's December, 1978, and more
than a million tons of goods
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are moving through here,
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goods that include cash, jewels,
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you name it.
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For New York's mafia families,
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the airport is a cash cow,
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[mellow rock]
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♪ ♪
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There are five main
organized crime families.
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By the 1970s, they've
been occupying New York
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and operating for so long
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that, in a lot of ways,
they feel invincible.
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These families
operate independently,
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but they also
cooperate together.
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They have their own
spheres of influence.
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The mob,
they would make money
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out of the airport
in any way they could,
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but mostly
they would hijack trucks.
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You would get the driver
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and literally
take his load from him.
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JFK was the king of
the hill.
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Today, there's going
to be $10 million
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worth of goods coming in.
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Next week, there's
going to be 50 million.
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So you might think that
there was a lot of robberies
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going on at the airport--
not so.
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Where most thefts happened
were off-airport.
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But sometime in 1976,
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a Lufthansa cargo agent
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named Peter Gruenwald
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gets an idea.
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Why not stage
a heist right here
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inside Lufthansa's cargo area?
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His only questions are:
when and how?
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He thought he was a schemer
and a great planner,
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and he knew
the cargo movements.
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So he thought about
this a long time.
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For the next 24 months,
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Gruenwald obsessively
looks for shipping patterns
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and security flaws.
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What he sees
are dollar signs.
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By the late fall of 1978,
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he knows December
is the right time to strike.
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December, without a doubt,
is the busiest time
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for cargo traffic
at Kennedy Airport.
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Lufthansa Cargo
would get pretty busy
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during the holidays,
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especially around
the Christmas holidays.
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European banks use Lufthansa
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to ship
millions of dollars a month
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in currency exchange
to banks in the US.
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The airline also transports
expensive luxury goods.
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People are sending gifts,
valuable gifts,
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to the United States.
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It could potentially
be millions
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and millions of dollars.
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It's the perfect target.
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♪ ♪
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And it's in
the perfect location.
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Lufthansa's cargo
is held in building 261,
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the last warehouse inside the
airport's secure perimeter.
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The Lufthansa building
was huge.
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It was about 180,000
square feet.
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It had three floors,
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and the third floor was
where all the offices were,
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and the lunchroom was there.
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The main floor
was all the cargo area.
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And there was
the high value room.
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At Lufthansa, we call
the vault the val room.
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Each airline had
their own cargo vaults,
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warehouses where they
put in the high value,
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like currency and jewelry
and maybe some high-value art.
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The most valuable shipments
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are held in Lufthansa's
high-value room
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until they can be picked up
by armored cars.
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Brinks would take those
things to a designated bank
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that the airline
would have deposited.
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And jewelry, a lot of times,
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would go into the jewelry
center in Manhattan.
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The high-value room at
the Lufthansa Cargo hangar
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was actually two rooms that
were divided by a steel door.
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When you went
into the outer door,
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you had to lock it behind you
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before you could
open the inner door.
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If you didn't,
you would set off an alarm
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again at the Port Authority.
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And the inner room is where
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they had all of
the high-value items--
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cash, jewels.
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And so you needed to get
into that main room there
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in order to pull off the heist.
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And there are
more challenges.
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Even if Gruenwald
hits the warehouse
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during the night shift,
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he needs to subdue
seven workers.
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Once they're under control,
he can
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use the supervisor's keys to
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get into the high-val room.
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There's just one problem,
Gruenwald has a plan.
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What he doesn't have
is a team.
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So he turns to a colleague
with a known gambling problem
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and ties to the mob--
Louis Werner.
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I heard from guys at work,
Louis liked the gamble,
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and he was into
some money to the mob.
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Louis Werner
owes about $6,000
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in gambling debts,
which is about $26,000
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in today's money.
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So he was desperate
to pay off that debt.
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You don't want to
be in debt to the mob
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because they'll ask you
once for the money.
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And if you don't have it
the second time
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they'll come back
and break your legs.
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♪ ♪
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A lot of guys like this guy
Werner want to get involved
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with the mob and want to
bring something to the mob
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to get into their good graces.
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Once a civilian brings
something to the mob,
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there's no turning back.
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Werner brings Grunwald's
plan to his bookie,
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and it eventually makes its
way to a notorious mobster,
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Jimmy Burke.
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He's a member of New York's
Lucchese crime family,
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00:07:20,750 --> 00:07:23,583
and the guy played by Robert
De Niro in "Goodfellas."
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Jimmy Burke
was an associate
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for the Lucchese family.
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Jimmy was more like a captain,
the status of captain,
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because he had his own crew,
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even though
he was an associate.
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Jimmy Burke has a nickname,
it's "Jimmy, the Gent,"
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and he gets
this nickname because
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of this little habit
of tipping drivers $50
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whenever he hijacks
their trucks.
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Either you take the tip and
your truck gets hijacked,
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or you get killed and
your truck gets hijacked.
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Burke spies an opportunity
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and sends a trusted lieutenant
named Joe Buddha
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to check out Werner.
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♪ ♪
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Werner, he really does feel
that this is his only way out
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of his gambling debts,
and so he meets with Joe Buddha
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00:08:09,542 --> 00:08:11,958
as sort of a gamble.
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00:08:11,958 --> 00:08:15,667
When Lou Werner met up
with Joe Buddha,
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00:08:15,833 --> 00:08:17,875
he put his life on the line.
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Because if things
didn't go right,
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00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:23,167
or they suspected him
of being an informant,
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00:08:23,292 --> 00:08:25,125
he was getting killed.
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But he's a gambler.
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00:08:29,333 --> 00:08:30,500
He's willing to take
that shot,
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willing to take that bet.
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[suspenseful music]
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Werner gives Buddha
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essentially everything that he has.
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♪ ♪
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So that's the site plan,
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that's the list
of employees' names,
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00:08:46,625 --> 00:08:49,000
the security protocol
for the high-value room.
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♪ ♪
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But Werner is too
scared to really make
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00:08:54,333 --> 00:08:56,458
the conditions of this deal.
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00:08:56,458 --> 00:08:57,917
And so the mob
sort of implies, yeah,
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00:08:58,042 --> 00:08:59,500
you're going
to get a cut of this,
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00:08:59,625 --> 00:09:02,625
but Werner doesn't leave
these meetings knowing exactly
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00:09:02,750 --> 00:09:04,375
what he's going to get.
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00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:05,958
There's always
a chance if you're
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00:09:06,083 --> 00:09:08,000
coming to a crew
like the Burke crew
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00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,708
and you are telling them
how to steal $1 million
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00:09:10,833 --> 00:09:13,833
that they will kill you and
take you out of the equation
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00:09:13,958 --> 00:09:16,208
to make a million dollars
on their own.
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00:09:16,333 --> 00:09:17,917
A civilian who goes
to the mob
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00:09:18,042 --> 00:09:19,417
never thinks
about the end game,
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00:09:19,542 --> 00:09:21,583
and it's never
gonna go good for them.
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00:09:21,708 --> 00:09:24,000
With a plan
that's a roadmap to riches,
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00:09:24,125 --> 00:09:27,125
Jimmy the Gent
starts building his team.
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00:09:27,250 --> 00:09:30,083
Some of New York's
most vicious made men
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00:09:30,208 --> 00:09:31,583
will be part of it.
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00:09:31,708 --> 00:09:34,042
[dramatic music]
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00:09:38,125 --> 00:09:40,167
[suspenseful music]
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00:09:40,167 --> 00:09:43,458
It's just after
Thanksgiving, 1978,
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00:09:43,458 --> 00:09:45,000
and mobster Jimmy the Gent
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00:09:45,125 --> 00:09:47,500
is holding a meeting
in Queens.
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00:09:47,500 --> 00:09:49,167
He's gathered
the most trusted members
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00:09:49,333 --> 00:09:51,542
of his crew to brief
them on what could be
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00:09:51,708 --> 00:09:52,833
the score of a lifetime.
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00:09:52,958 --> 00:09:58,333
♪ ♪
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00:09:58,458 --> 00:10:02,875
The first person invited
onto the job: Vinny Asaro,
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00:10:03,042 --> 00:10:05,042
not part of Jimmy's
usual crew.
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00:10:05,208 --> 00:10:07,625
Jimmy was with the
Lucchese crime family,
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00:10:07,625 --> 00:10:10,875
and Vinny was
with the Bonannos.
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00:10:11,042 --> 00:10:13,000
There was no
question whatsoever
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00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,167
that Jimmy Burke
would bring Vinny Asaro
224
00:10:15,333 --> 00:10:17,083
onto the Lufthansa heist.
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00:10:17,208 --> 00:10:20,708
So that each of
the two crime families can,
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00:10:20,875 --> 00:10:23,083
in Burke's words, get a taste,
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00:10:23,208 --> 00:10:27,833
Vinny recruits his cousin,
Gaspare "Gary" Valenti.
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00:10:27,958 --> 00:10:31,167
Gary's an experienced
hijacker, and a big earner
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00:10:31,333 --> 00:10:32,500
for the Bonannos.
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00:10:32,667 --> 00:10:34,500
My cousin Vinny
came to me, he says,
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00:10:34,625 --> 00:10:36,750
"We got a big score
coming down."
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00:10:36,875 --> 00:10:40,583
He says Jimmy personally
wants me to invite you
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00:10:40,708 --> 00:10:42,750
to be part of the crew.
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00:10:42,875 --> 00:10:44,875
I says, okay, you know?
I'm honored.
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00:10:45,042 --> 00:10:47,042
In that life, it was an honor.
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00:10:47,208 --> 00:10:49,000
I says okay.
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00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,708
This is probably
$1 million or $2 million.
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00:10:53,042 --> 00:10:55,000
I said wow.
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00:10:56,417 --> 00:10:58,708
To head the team, Burke
picks his right hand man,
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00:10:58,833 --> 00:11:02,250
Tommy DeSimone,
immortalized by Joe Pesci
241
00:11:02,375 --> 00:11:04,708
in "Goodfellas."
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00:11:04,875 --> 00:11:07,958
Tommy's a made man,
and a guy who scares even
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00:11:08,083 --> 00:11:09,958
the most hardened mobsters.
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00:11:09,958 --> 00:11:11,917
♪ ♪
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00:11:12,042 --> 00:11:14,500
The hairs just stood up
on the back of my neck.
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00:11:14,625 --> 00:11:16,750
Tommy was "Two Gun" Tommy.
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00:11:16,875 --> 00:11:18,875
He always carried two pistols.
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00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:20,625
He was just a wild guy.
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00:11:20,625 --> 00:11:24,167
He was about 6'3," 6'4,"
good-looking guy.
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00:11:24,167 --> 00:11:27,708
If anybody's seen
that movie "Goodfellas,"
251
00:11:27,875 --> 00:11:30,583
he was an angel in that
movie compared to what
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00:11:30,708 --> 00:11:32,167
his real life was about.
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00:11:32,167 --> 00:11:33,500
[music playing]
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00:11:33,625 --> 00:11:35,958
Tommy was
a volatile individual.
255
00:11:35,958 --> 00:11:39,542
He was quick to start a fight
and would not hesitate
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00:11:39,667 --> 00:11:42,583
to kill you if he needed to.
257
00:11:42,708 --> 00:11:46,333
Jimmy showed us,
this is Lufthansa.
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00:11:46,458 --> 00:11:48,458
This is the score of scores.
259
00:11:48,458 --> 00:11:51,167
♪ ♪
260
00:11:51,167 --> 00:11:53,500
This should be
a million at least.
261
00:11:53,625 --> 00:11:56,000
♪ ♪
262
00:11:56,125 --> 00:11:58,833
Closer to $2 million in cash.
263
00:11:58,833 --> 00:12:02,333
Jimmy Burke was the real
boss behind the robbery
264
00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:06,167
at Lufthansa, knowing how
many employees were there,
265
00:12:06,292 --> 00:12:09,042
how many handcuffs
would be needed,
266
00:12:09,167 --> 00:12:13,167
how many individuals he
needed to conduct a robbery.
267
00:12:13,167 --> 00:12:15,042
Jimmy put everything together.
268
00:12:15,167 --> 00:12:17,458
♪ ♪
269
00:12:17,583 --> 00:12:19,250
No doubt about that.
270
00:12:21,458 --> 00:12:25,208
Jimmy's version of the
plan seemed simple on paper.
271
00:12:25,375 --> 00:12:28,708
The crew would arrive at
Lufthansa at exactly 3:00 a.m.
272
00:12:28,833 --> 00:12:31,208
during the night shifts'
meal break.
273
00:12:31,375 --> 00:12:34,833
The van will drop off six men
at the front entrance
274
00:12:34,833 --> 00:12:37,000
then continue to the back
of the building
275
00:12:37,125 --> 00:12:39,958
and wait for a signal
that the robbers inside
276
00:12:39,958 --> 00:12:42,500
have secured
the third floor lunchroom.
277
00:12:42,667 --> 00:12:44,500
That's where all but one
of the employees
278
00:12:44,625 --> 00:12:46,000
should be gathered.
279
00:12:49,583 --> 00:12:52,167
[jazzy music]
280
00:12:52,167 --> 00:12:54,167
That one employee?
281
00:12:54,292 --> 00:12:57,500
He's the warehouse supervisor,
and he's key to the heist
282
00:12:57,667 --> 00:13:01,583
because he literally holds the
keys to the high-val room.
283
00:13:01,708 --> 00:13:05,833
To pull off that plan, the team
has to lure him of his office
284
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,792
and prevent him from tripping
the silent alarm.
285
00:13:08,792 --> 00:13:10,167
[clicks tongue]
286
00:13:10,292 --> 00:13:11,833
Hmph.
287
00:13:14,333 --> 00:13:17,833
Our warehouse supervisor
was Rudy Eirich.
288
00:13:17,958 --> 00:13:21,833
He needed two keys in
order to open the doors.
289
00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,708
He needed both keys
to turn simultaneously
290
00:13:25,875 --> 00:13:30,292
to unlock the door,
because if it didn't,
291
00:13:30,292 --> 00:13:32,708
an alarm would go off
at the Port Authority.
292
00:13:32,833 --> 00:13:35,667
[edgy music]
293
00:13:35,792 --> 00:13:38,500
♪ ♪
294
00:13:38,667 --> 00:13:40,167
The plan is set.
295
00:13:40,292 --> 00:13:43,375
Insider Louis Werner
will tip off the heist team
296
00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:45,500
when the val room is full.
297
00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:48,708
He leaves original mastermind
Peter Gruenwald in the dark.
298
00:13:48,833 --> 00:13:52,000
Werner never tells
the mob about Gruenwald,
299
00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:54,542
and he never tells
his co-worker,
300
00:13:54,708 --> 00:13:56,792
who invested
two years in planning,
301
00:13:56,917 --> 00:13:58,458
what's about to go down.
302
00:13:58,583 --> 00:14:01,750
Werner thinks that if he cuts
Gruenwald out of the heist,
303
00:14:01,875 --> 00:14:03,250
that he's going to
make more money,
304
00:14:03,375 --> 00:14:06,000
and this is important to him
because of his gambling debts.
305
00:14:06,167 --> 00:14:08,708
Gruenwald doesn't really
realize what's happening.
306
00:14:08,875 --> 00:14:10,500
He thinks that
he's still in on this,
307
00:14:10,625 --> 00:14:14,250
and he thinks that Werner's
just biding his time
308
00:14:14,375 --> 00:14:17,458
to come up with a plan.
309
00:14:17,458 --> 00:14:20,875
December 8, 1978,
310
00:14:21,042 --> 00:14:23,250
Werner learns
that a Lufthansa flight
311
00:14:23,375 --> 00:14:25,833
just landed with
millions in cash
312
00:14:25,958 --> 00:14:28,000
on board from overseas banks.
313
00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,792
Whenever we had
valuable cargo coming in
314
00:14:30,917 --> 00:14:35,167
on an inbound flight,
Brinks was notified
315
00:14:35,292 --> 00:14:39,333
to pick up the valuable cargo.
316
00:14:39,333 --> 00:14:42,167
Brinks would basically
pick up money,
317
00:14:42,292 --> 00:14:45,792
and they would take it
to the bank.
318
00:14:45,792 --> 00:14:50,375
And back in 1978,
the banks closed at 3:00.
319
00:14:50,500 --> 00:14:55,167
So if it got too late, Brinks
was not taking the money.
320
00:14:55,292 --> 00:14:58,292
They left it there
at our val room.
321
00:14:58,292 --> 00:15:00,333
♪ ♪
322
00:15:00,458 --> 00:15:02,792
If Werner can prevent
the Brinks armored truck
323
00:15:02,917 --> 00:15:05,833
from making the pickup,
millions in cash
324
00:15:05,958 --> 00:15:08,292
will spend the weekend
in the high-value room.
325
00:15:08,417 --> 00:15:10,667
When the val shipment
came in,
326
00:15:10,792 --> 00:15:12,958
Louis delayed the paperwork.
327
00:15:12,958 --> 00:15:14,750
Brinks said, no,
banks are closed
328
00:15:14,875 --> 00:15:16,458
and we're not taking
the money.
329
00:15:16,583 --> 00:15:17,958
See, this is the key.
330
00:15:17,958 --> 00:15:21,000
Brinks couldn't
make that pickup.
331
00:15:21,125 --> 00:15:23,542
That meant all
that cash had to sit
332
00:15:23,708 --> 00:15:28,333
in the vault over the weekend,
and it was a lot of money.
333
00:15:28,500 --> 00:15:31,333
[energetic music]
334
00:15:31,333 --> 00:15:33,667
♪ ♪
335
00:15:33,833 --> 00:15:35,833
It's almost too
good to be true.
336
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,583
[phone rings]
So Werner lets the team know
337
00:15:38,708 --> 00:15:42,833
there's a ripe opportunity
if they can move fast.
338
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,417
We already had the
supplies, the ski masks,
339
00:15:45,542 --> 00:15:47,708
the cuffs, the gloves.
340
00:15:47,875 --> 00:15:49,750
Everybody had guns.
341
00:15:49,875 --> 00:15:51,292
We didn't have to
worry about that.
342
00:15:51,292 --> 00:15:53,667
Jimmy's crew has
everything they need,
343
00:15:53,792 --> 00:15:55,958
except for the perfect vehicle.
344
00:15:56,083 --> 00:15:58,375
They need to steal one ASAP.
345
00:15:58,542 --> 00:16:01,667
Jimmy tells the guys
get a van big enough
346
00:16:01,792 --> 00:16:04,458
to hold eight or ten guys.
347
00:16:04,583 --> 00:16:06,958
Because they're planning
the heist to be at nighttime,
348
00:16:06,958 --> 00:16:09,625
they would want a black van
to blend in better.
349
00:16:09,625 --> 00:16:12,542
It's difficult to come up
with the right vehicle.
350
00:16:12,708 --> 00:16:14,708
They spent the whole weekend
351
00:16:14,875 --> 00:16:17,917
looking for a black van
to steal.
352
00:16:19,333 --> 00:16:23,458
Joe Buddha finally finds
the right van for the job,
353
00:16:23,583 --> 00:16:27,875
just as another huge cargo
shipment arrives at Lufthansa.
354
00:16:28,042 --> 00:16:31,042
It should be good news,
but there's a catch.
355
00:16:31,167 --> 00:16:34,875
More cash also means
additional personnel on site,
356
00:16:35,042 --> 00:16:37,000
something the heist team
doesn't know about.
357
00:16:37,125 --> 00:16:39,167
Because we had
an extra freighter,
358
00:16:39,167 --> 00:16:40,958
they called in people
on overtime.
359
00:16:40,958 --> 00:16:46,917
That night, December 11th, we
had three more guys scheduled.
360
00:16:47,042 --> 00:16:49,625
But if you weren't
working that day,
361
00:16:49,625 --> 00:16:51,875
you didn't know about
the extra section,
362
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:53,375
you would not know
there was extra people
363
00:16:53,542 --> 00:16:55,500
called in on overtime.
364
00:16:56,458 --> 00:16:59,083
Unaware of the extra
workers, the heist team
365
00:16:59,208 --> 00:17:01,833
meets to review plans.
366
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,542
It's finally go time.
367
00:17:03,667 --> 00:17:07,542
That night of the heist,
we meet up at Jimmy's.
368
00:17:07,708 --> 00:17:08,833
Everybody shows up.
369
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,500
[energetic music]
370
00:17:11,667 --> 00:17:14,333
Everybody checked their guns,
checked their gloves,
371
00:17:14,458 --> 00:17:17,792
checked the cuffs,
ski mask, everything.
372
00:17:17,917 --> 00:17:21,083
Jimmy said, "Listen, guys,
you're the best there are.
373
00:17:21,208 --> 00:17:23,667
"There's nobody
better than you guys.
374
00:17:23,667 --> 00:17:25,500
"That's why I picked you.
375
00:17:25,625 --> 00:17:27,875
"You guys are very capable
of pulling this off.
376
00:17:28,042 --> 00:17:29,583
There's no doubt in my mind."
377
00:17:29,708 --> 00:17:32,875
The crew heads out in the
van, followed by a crash car,
378
00:17:33,042 --> 00:17:34,667
a vehicle ready and waiting
379
00:17:34,792 --> 00:17:38,833
to crash into Port Authority
police vehicles if necessary.
380
00:17:38,958 --> 00:17:41,083
They were parked there
at a gas station
381
00:17:41,208 --> 00:17:43,500
about two miles
away from the airport.
382
00:17:43,667 --> 00:17:46,375
They had their guns outside
the car behind the wheels
383
00:17:46,500 --> 00:17:48,125
in case the cops came,
you know,
384
00:17:48,125 --> 00:17:50,292
"What are you doing here?"
whatever.
385
00:17:50,417 --> 00:17:53,833
So they would stash the guns
on the inside of the wheel.
386
00:17:53,958 --> 00:17:56,167
At 3:00 a.m.,
the van pulls up
387
00:17:56,333 --> 00:17:58,167
to the unrestricted
front entrance
388
00:17:58,292 --> 00:18:01,958
of Lufthansa Building 261.
389
00:18:01,958 --> 00:18:04,958
All but two of the
crew exit the van.
390
00:18:04,958 --> 00:18:06,667
The heist begins now.
391
00:18:09,833 --> 00:18:11,333
♪ ♪
392
00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:14,208
To get into the building,
you needed nothing.
393
00:18:14,375 --> 00:18:16,875
We had no alarms
and no security guard.
394
00:18:17,042 --> 00:18:20,125
[jazzy rock music]
395
00:18:20,125 --> 00:18:22,375
At that time at
Lufthansa Cargo,
396
00:18:22,542 --> 00:18:26,167
we never expected
a robbery like this.
397
00:18:26,167 --> 00:18:28,917
We had no idea
that the biggest
398
00:18:29,042 --> 00:18:34,458
robbery in airline history was
about to happen that night.
399
00:18:40,208 --> 00:18:44,042
Just after 3:00 a.m.
on December 11, 1978,
400
00:18:44,167 --> 00:18:46,458
Tommy DeSimone and crew
401
00:18:46,583 --> 00:18:49,958
storm into the Lufthansa
Cargo Building 261.
402
00:18:49,958 --> 00:18:52,292
They've timed their
entry to coincide
403
00:18:52,417 --> 00:18:54,125
with an employee meal break.
404
00:18:54,125 --> 00:18:57,250
When the inside team
came in to the lunchroom,
405
00:18:57,375 --> 00:18:59,167
most of the people,
from what we understand,
406
00:18:59,333 --> 00:19:03,083
after speaking to them,
they were, my words,
407
00:19:03,208 --> 00:19:04,625
"pissing in their pants."
408
00:19:04,625 --> 00:19:07,042
They were very, very
scared because these guys
409
00:19:07,167 --> 00:19:09,208
are flashing guns out there.
410
00:19:09,333 --> 00:19:11,250
It was upstairs,
the lunchroom.
411
00:19:11,375 --> 00:19:13,833
These guys come in.
Tommy was a bad dude.
412
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:15,250
He was homicidal.
413
00:19:15,375 --> 00:19:18,625
He would kill you
without blinking an eye.
414
00:19:18,625 --> 00:19:21,125
No reason. Just kill you.
415
00:19:21,125 --> 00:19:24,417
If anything goes wrong,
they're dead.
416
00:19:24,542 --> 00:19:27,250
All of the men that are
working that evening--
417
00:19:27,375 --> 00:19:31,333
none of them expected
that this was going to happen.
418
00:19:31,458 --> 00:19:34,250
This was sudden,
and it's terrifying.
419
00:19:34,375 --> 00:19:37,583
I look at life, when
your number's up, it's up,
420
00:19:37,708 --> 00:19:39,333
and there's nothing
you can do about it.
421
00:19:39,500 --> 00:19:41,667
For some of the guys,
in fact, it might have
422
00:19:41,667 --> 00:19:44,708
been the most terrifying
night of their life.
423
00:19:44,833 --> 00:19:48,625
Meanwhile, the van drives
to the side of the building,
424
00:19:48,750 --> 00:19:51,833
but Gary Valenti deals with
the padlocked gate
425
00:19:51,958 --> 00:19:55,125
blocking access
to Lufthansa's loading dock.
426
00:19:55,250 --> 00:19:57,417
♪ ♪
427
00:19:57,542 --> 00:20:01,083
I was out of a van
with bolt-cutters.
428
00:20:01,208 --> 00:20:02,917
I didn't cut the lock.
429
00:20:03,042 --> 00:20:06,833
I was too smart for that,
because security would come
430
00:20:06,833 --> 00:20:08,667
around and check the lock.
431
00:20:08,833 --> 00:20:11,917
So I cut the link on
a chain and un-linked it.
432
00:20:12,042 --> 00:20:14,625
And then when Frankie
pulled in with the van...
433
00:20:14,750 --> 00:20:17,125
♪ ♪
434
00:20:17,125 --> 00:20:20,000
I just hooked the link back up.
435
00:20:20,125 --> 00:20:23,292
Valenti is right
to be cautious.
436
00:20:23,292 --> 00:20:28,042
Kennedy is a 24-hour by 7 airport.
437
00:20:28,167 --> 00:20:30,333
Planes come in late,
late at night.
438
00:20:30,458 --> 00:20:34,000
They don't stop like at
midnight and shut down.
439
00:20:34,167 --> 00:20:36,292
[edgy music]
440
00:20:36,417 --> 00:20:38,792
So that's why we had a large
group of police officers
441
00:20:38,917 --> 00:20:40,250
always patrolling.
442
00:20:40,375 --> 00:20:43,417
We had about 60
on the midnight shift.
443
00:20:43,542 --> 00:20:47,375
At that time of night, there
should have been no one back
444
00:20:47,500 --> 00:20:51,250
behind the building unless
they were Port Authority people
445
00:20:51,375 --> 00:20:53,375
or Lufthansa employees.
446
00:20:53,500 --> 00:20:56,000
There should not have
been anybody there.
447
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,333
[dramatic music]
448
00:20:58,458 --> 00:21:00,833
Back in the break room,
Tommy DeSimone
449
00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,083
checks to ensure
he secured all the employees
450
00:21:04,208 --> 00:21:06,000
listed by Louis Werner.
451
00:21:06,167 --> 00:21:10,167
They rounded up all the
employees into the lunchroom.
452
00:21:10,292 --> 00:21:11,833
They handcuffed them,
and they were
453
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:13,500
told to put their heads down.
454
00:21:13,625 --> 00:21:17,208
We were told over
and over again,
455
00:21:17,375 --> 00:21:20,083
do as we're told, and nobody
was going to get hurt.
456
00:21:20,208 --> 00:21:21,625
♪ ♪
457
00:21:21,625 --> 00:21:24,500
They asked for everybody's
wallet and car keys,
458
00:21:24,625 --> 00:21:26,625
and they said this way
we know where you are.
459
00:21:26,750 --> 00:21:28,333
If you say anything,
we know where you live.
460
00:21:28,458 --> 00:21:31,292
If you threaten a person,
that person
461
00:21:31,417 --> 00:21:33,333
may or may not try to be
a hero.
462
00:21:33,458 --> 00:21:35,167
But when you start
threatening their family,
463
00:21:35,167 --> 00:21:37,625
they think twice.
464
00:21:37,750 --> 00:21:39,833
And these guys
weren't the brainiest guys,
465
00:21:39,958 --> 00:21:42,583
but they knew how to
threaten people's families.
466
00:21:42,708 --> 00:21:45,167
They go to the wife,
they go to the children,
467
00:21:45,292 --> 00:21:47,917
and mothers and fathers.
468
00:21:48,042 --> 00:21:50,375
They put that threat
to them, and nobody,
469
00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:52,542
nobody wanted to do anything.
470
00:21:52,667 --> 00:21:54,583
They just wanted them to
get the hell out of there.
471
00:21:54,708 --> 00:21:56,167
♪ ♪
472
00:21:56,167 --> 00:21:59,500
Even the heist team wants
to get the hell out of there,
473
00:21:59,500 --> 00:22:02,792
but there are two men missing
from the list of employees.
474
00:22:02,917 --> 00:22:08,583
Back outside, the guys in the
van are growing concerned.
475
00:22:08,708 --> 00:22:12,792
By now, they expected crew to
have locked down the employees
476
00:22:12,792 --> 00:22:14,500
and open the cargo door.
477
00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:16,292
But
we're sitting in a van.
478
00:22:16,292 --> 00:22:19,167
We took off the mask
because they see two guys
479
00:22:19,167 --> 00:22:21,083
in a van with ski masks on--
480
00:22:21,208 --> 00:22:23,583
something's wrong, you know?
481
00:22:23,708 --> 00:22:26,708
[edgy music]
482
00:22:26,833 --> 00:22:31,167
♪ ♪
483
00:22:31,292 --> 00:22:33,333
Sitting in the van,
I saw a truck
484
00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:36,292
headed towards the cargo area.
485
00:22:36,417 --> 00:22:39,417
[uneasy music]
486
00:22:39,542 --> 00:22:42,625
One of the guys working
overtime was Kerry Whalen.
487
00:22:42,625 --> 00:22:44,583
♪ ♪
488
00:22:44,708 --> 00:22:48,833
He was doing transfers,
taking cargo from Lufthansa
489
00:22:48,958 --> 00:22:50,292
to the other airlines.
490
00:22:50,417 --> 00:22:51,875
♪ ♪
491
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,625
He must have seen the van
out at the back door.
492
00:22:55,625 --> 00:22:57,625
Kerry approaches
the cargo bay door
493
00:22:57,750 --> 00:22:59,833
with his eyes on the van.
494
00:22:59,958 --> 00:23:03,208
When he spots the
unfamiliar faces inside,
495
00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:05,583
he panics and starts to run.
496
00:23:05,708 --> 00:23:08,125
And if he makes it
from here to there,
497
00:23:08,250 --> 00:23:10,167
it's not just the heist
that's in danger.
498
00:23:10,292 --> 00:23:12,000
Tommy "Two Guns"
up in the break room
499
00:23:12,125 --> 00:23:16,958
is volatile and violent, and he
got his nickname for a reason.
500
00:23:16,958 --> 00:23:18,500
[tense music]
501
00:23:18,625 --> 00:23:22,458
When I seen the guy walking
towards me, he sees me,
502
00:23:22,458 --> 00:23:24,000
and I know he made me.
503
00:23:24,125 --> 00:23:25,125
I said he can't get away.
504
00:23:25,250 --> 00:23:26,458
'Cause he gets away,
505
00:23:26,583 --> 00:23:28,333
my guys in there
are going to get caught.
506
00:23:28,458 --> 00:23:29,958
They're trapped.
507
00:23:29,958 --> 00:23:33,917
I said this guy has got to be
taken, one way or the other.
508
00:23:38,875 --> 00:23:40,667
Less than half an hour
into the heist,
509
00:23:40,833 --> 00:23:43,667
Gary Valenti
and van driver Frankie Burke
510
00:23:43,792 --> 00:23:47,500
are caught off guard by the
arrival of an extra employee.
511
00:23:47,625 --> 00:23:52,958
I jumped out and ran up to
him, and I says, "Don't move.
512
00:23:53,083 --> 00:23:54,292
Nobody's looking to hurt you."
513
00:23:54,417 --> 00:23:56,083
And he starts to
run and holler.
514
00:23:56,208 --> 00:23:58,417
[dramatic music]
515
00:23:58,542 --> 00:24:00,083
So I hit him in the head
with the pistol,
516
00:24:00,208 --> 00:24:03,458
split his head open,
and he fell to the ground.
517
00:24:03,583 --> 00:24:06,708
Frankie stuck his pistol
in his eye and says,
518
00:24:06,833 --> 00:24:09,167
"Don't move or I'll
blow your eye out.
519
00:24:09,333 --> 00:24:10,500
Now just get up."
520
00:24:10,500 --> 00:24:12,833
We cuffed him,
and put him in the van.
521
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,625
My crew went to lunch and
I was there working because
522
00:24:16,750 --> 00:24:19,833
I was trying to get
everything caught up,
523
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,292
and I heard a
holler at the back,
524
00:24:23,292 --> 00:24:26,708
and that's when I left
my desk to walk over
525
00:24:26,875 --> 00:24:28,375
to see what the noise was.
526
00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:31,167
[click]
527
00:24:31,292 --> 00:24:34,500
So I open the outer
walkthrough door.
528
00:24:34,625 --> 00:24:38,417
This other guy
Ralph comes out...
529
00:24:38,542 --> 00:24:40,500
because he heard the screams.
530
00:24:40,625 --> 00:24:42,500
There's a van back there,
and somebody's
531
00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:44,500
standing outside the van.
532
00:24:44,625 --> 00:24:46,833
I guess he heard the
door open, and he saw me,
533
00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,667
and I asked him if
I could help him.
534
00:24:48,792 --> 00:24:52,292
And he said, yes,
and stuck a gun in my face.
535
00:24:52,292 --> 00:24:54,000
I put the gun to him.
536
00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,083
I said, "Look, I'm not
looking for trouble.
537
00:24:57,208 --> 00:25:00,208
Just follow me to the van.
Get in the van and be quiet."
538
00:25:00,375 --> 00:25:03,208
And he accommodated,
no problem.
539
00:25:03,333 --> 00:25:04,833
And so, we had two of them.
540
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:06,875
♪ ♪
541
00:25:07,042 --> 00:25:09,917
I got in the van, and
then I was kind of worried
542
00:25:10,042 --> 00:25:13,167
because I saw the guy
that stuck the gun
543
00:25:13,333 --> 00:25:15,500
in my face with no mask on.
544
00:25:15,500 --> 00:25:17,375
[dramatic music]
545
00:25:17,542 --> 00:25:19,333
The only thing that
came to my mind
546
00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:21,000
is that if they're
going to shoot me,
547
00:25:21,125 --> 00:25:25,167
I hope it's fast, and worried
about my wife and kids.
548
00:25:25,292 --> 00:25:28,542
♪ ♪
549
00:25:28,708 --> 00:25:29,833
Then, Joe Buddha come out.
550
00:25:29,833 --> 00:25:33,125
He says, "We can't find
two guys."
551
00:25:33,125 --> 00:25:35,708
I said, "Look in my van."
552
00:25:35,833 --> 00:25:37,167
Somebody hollered out.
553
00:25:37,292 --> 00:25:38,500
We're looking for
this guy Ralph.
554
00:25:38,625 --> 00:25:39,792
We got everybody.
555
00:25:39,917 --> 00:25:41,500
We're looking for
this guy Ralph.
556
00:25:41,667 --> 00:25:43,417
And then the guy that
was outside the van
557
00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:45,167
that I saw said,
is one of you Ralph?
558
00:25:45,292 --> 00:25:46,917
And I said, yes, me.
559
00:25:47,042 --> 00:25:50,208
♪ ♪
560
00:25:50,375 --> 00:25:54,500
They got me out of the van
to come in and open the door.
561
00:25:54,500 --> 00:25:57,625
♪ ♪
562
00:25:57,625 --> 00:25:59,833
Once the cargo
bay door opens,
563
00:25:59,833 --> 00:26:04,125
the van pulls into
the warehouse.
564
00:26:04,125 --> 00:26:07,583
They led me through
the warehouse with Kerry
565
00:26:07,708 --> 00:26:10,083
with a gun at my
back up the stairs.
566
00:26:10,208 --> 00:26:13,667
♪ ♪
567
00:26:13,667 --> 00:26:16,167
Things are not
going as planned.
568
00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:18,583
There are too many employees,
and they're not all
569
00:26:18,708 --> 00:26:20,667
where Werner said
they would be.
570
00:26:20,667 --> 00:26:24,458
Potentially outnumbered now,
the crew needs to reassert
571
00:26:24,458 --> 00:26:26,083
control of the situation.
572
00:26:26,208 --> 00:26:29,250
♪ ♪
573
00:26:29,375 --> 00:26:32,667
In the lunchroom, I could
see all the rest of the crew
574
00:26:32,792 --> 00:26:35,167
laying face down on the floor.
575
00:26:35,333 --> 00:26:37,958
I grabbed Kerry, and they
said what happened to him?
576
00:26:37,958 --> 00:26:40,667
I said, well, I says,
he wanted to be a tough guy.
577
00:26:40,792 --> 00:26:45,917
One of the guys that hit
Kerry outside was straddled
578
00:26:46,042 --> 00:26:48,917
over him and hit him again,
and said,
579
00:26:49,042 --> 00:26:52,167
"This guy tried to get away
when I told him not to."
580
00:26:52,333 --> 00:26:55,708
I said, hey guys, take
a look at your buddy here.
581
00:26:55,875 --> 00:26:57,208
It could happen to you.
582
00:26:57,333 --> 00:27:01,458
Nobody wants to hurt you.
You're going to hurt yourself.
583
00:27:01,458 --> 00:27:04,875
And I heard somebody say we
don't have enough handcuffs.
584
00:27:05,042 --> 00:27:08,917
So somebody else said
use rope and tie them up.
585
00:27:09,042 --> 00:27:12,167
And they tied me and
Kerry together with rope.
586
00:27:12,292 --> 00:27:15,167
The cargo workers
may be accounted for,
587
00:27:15,333 --> 00:27:16,833
but phase two is trickier.
588
00:27:16,958 --> 00:27:19,917
They need to coax the
supervisor out of his office
589
00:27:20,042 --> 00:27:23,917
and keep him from pressing the
Port Authority panic button.
590
00:27:24,042 --> 00:27:27,250
Doing that hinges on the
questionable people skills
591
00:27:27,375 --> 00:27:29,333
of Tommy
"Two Gun" DeSimone,
592
00:27:29,500 --> 00:27:31,750
a man not known
for his patience.
593
00:27:31,875 --> 00:27:34,958
Tricking the supervisor
to leave his enclosed office
594
00:27:35,083 --> 00:27:39,125
was a critical part to
making the heist successful.
595
00:27:39,250 --> 00:27:44,750
He was a person that knew
about the alarm systems,
596
00:27:44,875 --> 00:27:48,500
and you needed to get
him in your custody.
597
00:27:48,625 --> 00:27:50,208
[upbeat jazz]
598
00:27:50,375 --> 00:27:53,000
Rudy didn't leave his
office, no matter what.
599
00:27:53,125 --> 00:27:58,125
So they made the office senior
agent call Rudy on the phone
600
00:27:58,250 --> 00:28:01,333
and told him he had to
come up to the office
601
00:28:01,458 --> 00:28:02,625
and talk to them.
602
00:28:02,750 --> 00:28:04,875
[phone rings]
603
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,000
He says anything goes
wrong, he says--
604
00:28:07,167 --> 00:28:09,542
Like, he wanted something
to go wrong.
605
00:28:09,667 --> 00:28:12,000
If anything goes wrong,
they're dead.
606
00:28:12,125 --> 00:28:13,958
With a gun to his head,
the senior agent
607
00:28:14,083 --> 00:28:16,667
is finding it difficult
to lure Rudy Eirich
608
00:28:16,792 --> 00:28:18,167
to the third floor break room.
609
00:28:18,292 --> 00:28:21,500
Tommy DeSimone tells him,
get Rudy and his vault
610
00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:25,292
keys upstairs, or else.
611
00:28:25,292 --> 00:28:28,917
And he called down to
Rudy on the office phone
612
00:28:29,042 --> 00:28:30,667
that he had a call
from Germany,
613
00:28:30,667 --> 00:28:33,167
and they wanted to
talk to the supervisor.
614
00:28:33,333 --> 00:28:35,125
♪ ♪
615
00:28:35,250 --> 00:28:38,125
Please, just come up.
616
00:28:38,250 --> 00:28:39,500
And it worked.
617
00:28:39,625 --> 00:28:41,167
♪ ♪
618
00:28:41,292 --> 00:28:45,542
When Rudy came upstairs,
they also stuck a gun on him.
619
00:28:45,708 --> 00:28:48,625
So now he knew there
was a robbery going on.
620
00:28:48,750 --> 00:28:51,292
The crew heads for
the high-val room
621
00:28:51,292 --> 00:28:54,917
with Rudy in tow, ready
to put their inside info
622
00:28:55,042 --> 00:28:56,667
to the ultimate test.
623
00:28:56,667 --> 00:28:58,375
If the locks on the
doors aren't handled
624
00:28:58,542 --> 00:29:03,042
in exactly the right sequence,
tempers and alarms
625
00:29:03,167 --> 00:29:04,292
will go off.
626
00:29:04,417 --> 00:29:08,167
When the supervisor
is leading these men
627
00:29:08,292 --> 00:29:11,333
into the vault,
he definitely at this point
628
00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:14,708
does not realize that there's
an inside man for this job,
629
00:29:14,875 --> 00:29:18,375
and I think that he believes
that he can still trigger
630
00:29:18,542 --> 00:29:21,875
the alarm and get out of this.
631
00:29:22,042 --> 00:29:24,625
Unlock it now.
Go ahead.
632
00:29:24,750 --> 00:29:28,250
You needed both keys
and turned simultaneously
633
00:29:28,375 --> 00:29:31,833
to unlock the door,
because if you didn't,
634
00:29:31,833 --> 00:29:34,500
an alarm would go off
at the Port Authority.
635
00:29:34,500 --> 00:29:36,000
[dramatic music]
636
00:29:36,125 --> 00:29:37,833
The supervisor,
he was nervous.
637
00:29:37,833 --> 00:29:39,458
His hands were shaking.
638
00:29:39,458 --> 00:29:42,167
Tommy told him put your
hands down and just relax,
639
00:29:42,333 --> 00:29:44,792
because if your hands
shake again, he says,
640
00:29:44,917 --> 00:29:46,208
I'll blow your brains out.
641
00:29:46,333 --> 00:29:48,000
Go ahead.
Come on.
642
00:29:53,125 --> 00:29:55,833
It's nearly one hour
into the Lufthansa heist,
643
00:29:55,833 --> 00:29:58,333
and Jimmy Burke's
crew still doesn't
644
00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:00,500
have their hands on the loot.
645
00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:03,333
Success hinges on persuading
646
00:30:03,458 --> 00:30:07,417
the high-value room
supervisor to play ball.
647
00:30:08,667 --> 00:30:11,750
Werner told Joe Buddha you
had to open the first door,
648
00:30:11,875 --> 00:30:13,583
close it, and then
open the second door
649
00:30:13,708 --> 00:30:15,292
to get into the vault.
650
00:30:15,292 --> 00:30:18,917
The supervisor probably
could have done something,
651
00:30:19,042 --> 00:30:22,833
but it was a risk I don't think
that he was willing to take.
652
00:30:22,958 --> 00:30:25,542
I don't think he
wanted to jeopardize
653
00:30:25,667 --> 00:30:27,833
all the employees' lives.
654
00:30:27,958 --> 00:30:29,667
If I had a gun
to my head, I think
655
00:30:29,833 --> 00:30:33,500
it would be very hard
to say no to what
656
00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:35,250
someone is asking you to do.
657
00:30:35,375 --> 00:30:37,083
It's self-preservation.
658
00:30:37,208 --> 00:30:40,083
When Eirich realizes
the thieves know
659
00:30:40,208 --> 00:30:44,750
the secret protocols to avoid
tripping the alarm, he folds.
660
00:30:44,875 --> 00:30:47,667
The supervisor went
along with everything.
661
00:30:47,792 --> 00:30:49,667
He didn't want to
become a dead hero.
662
00:30:49,792 --> 00:30:52,875
The val room is now theirs.
663
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,375
Once the robbers
had the vault open,
664
00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:58,250
they moved quickly.
665
00:30:58,375 --> 00:31:00,000
[energetic music]
666
00:31:00,167 --> 00:31:01,792
I was the first one
in with Tommy,
667
00:31:01,792 --> 00:31:04,708
and there were boxes
on the side.
668
00:31:04,833 --> 00:31:07,417
♪ ♪
669
00:31:07,542 --> 00:31:09,667
There were exactly 50 boxes.
670
00:31:09,667 --> 00:31:11,208
So Tommy took one.
671
00:31:11,375 --> 00:31:13,917
He threw it on the floor,
and he stepped on it.
672
00:31:14,042 --> 00:31:18,500
And he saw 125,000
in hundreds.
673
00:31:18,500 --> 00:31:21,833
When I seen the money, I
started doing math in my head.
674
00:31:21,833 --> 00:31:24,000
This is the score of scores.
675
00:31:24,167 --> 00:31:26,167
They're shocked
at the amount of money
676
00:31:26,292 --> 00:31:27,333
that they have.
677
00:31:27,333 --> 00:31:30,333
This is more than double
what they were expecting.
678
00:31:30,333 --> 00:31:33,333
Thanks to the
surprise cargo shipment,
679
00:31:33,458 --> 00:31:36,708
the crew now faces
the best kind of work,
680
00:31:36,833 --> 00:31:39,667
carrying off even more cash.
681
00:31:39,792 --> 00:31:41,792
As the boxes
are being taken away,
682
00:31:41,792 --> 00:31:45,833
Gary Valenti
spies something else.
683
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,792
There was an aluminum case
684
00:31:48,917 --> 00:31:52,167
that was about
maybe 3-foot by 3.
685
00:31:52,333 --> 00:31:56,083
I opened up the drawer,
and I seen diamonds.
686
00:31:56,208 --> 00:31:58,125
I opened another drawer,
and I seen rubies,
687
00:31:58,125 --> 00:32:01,042
and another drawer
was emeralds.
688
00:32:01,167 --> 00:32:05,208
The contents of the jewelry
case add nearly 900,000
689
00:32:05,333 --> 00:32:06,667
to the whole.
690
00:32:06,792 --> 00:32:09,792
Now, all they need
is a clean getaway.
691
00:32:09,792 --> 00:32:14,042
[exciting music]
692
00:32:14,167 --> 00:32:17,500
After they got the money
out of the val room,
693
00:32:17,625 --> 00:32:19,667
they brought Rudy back
upstairs and told him
694
00:32:19,792 --> 00:32:21,333
to lie down on the floor also.
695
00:32:21,458 --> 00:32:23,417
And then we were
told that they were
696
00:32:23,542 --> 00:32:27,042
going to leave a guy behind,
and we were not to get up.
697
00:32:28,042 --> 00:32:29,167
They got everything out
698
00:32:29,167 --> 00:32:30,958
right into the back of
the van.
699
00:32:30,958 --> 00:32:32,542
They were like precise.
700
00:32:32,667 --> 00:32:33,875
[tires screeching]
701
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,292
As we leave the
airport, we're driving,
702
00:32:37,292 --> 00:32:42,000
and Jimmy and Vinny
were in a crash car.
703
00:32:42,125 --> 00:32:45,667
And we pull up to them,
and say, where to?
704
00:32:45,667 --> 00:32:47,167
Where should we go with it?
705
00:32:47,292 --> 00:32:49,500
Just two minutes after
leaving with the loot,
706
00:32:49,625 --> 00:32:51,333
the crew hits a speed bump.
707
00:32:51,458 --> 00:32:55,875
They have a getaway van,
but no real getaway plan.
708
00:32:56,042 --> 00:32:58,750
As some say,
the brains, right?
709
00:32:58,875 --> 00:33:01,667
You pull off
a $6 million heist,
710
00:33:01,792 --> 00:33:03,458
you don't know where to go.
711
00:33:03,458 --> 00:33:06,292
So Vinny yells out,
"Go to my cousin's house."
712
00:33:06,292 --> 00:33:08,417
That's what we did,
we went to my house,
713
00:33:08,542 --> 00:33:12,333
backed the van in, and
unloaded it in my basement.
714
00:33:13,667 --> 00:33:16,833
As the team heads to Gary's,
the employees managed to call
715
00:33:16,958 --> 00:33:19,167
the police and share the news.
716
00:33:19,292 --> 00:33:22,417
Lufthansa Cargo
has been hit--hard.
717
00:33:22,542 --> 00:33:24,542
The Port Authority's
Operations Captain,
718
00:33:24,708 --> 00:33:27,875
Henry DeGeneste,
is one of the first to arrive.
719
00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:32,667
We had our own detective
unit that investigated the mob
720
00:33:32,792 --> 00:33:34,292
for the Port Authority police.
721
00:33:34,417 --> 00:33:37,125
And when they came,
they all said,
722
00:33:37,125 --> 00:33:38,833
this has got to be a mob hit.
723
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,500
Nobody else would
be brazen enough
724
00:33:40,625 --> 00:33:43,667
to do the robbery at John F.
Kennedy Airport than the mob.
725
00:33:43,792 --> 00:33:45,167
♪ ♪
726
00:33:45,167 --> 00:33:47,875
Back in Gary Valenti's
basement,
727
00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,750
the heist team's spirits
are high,
728
00:33:50,875 --> 00:33:52,333
and so are the stacks of cash.
729
00:33:52,458 --> 00:33:55,458
And Joe Buddha
counted the money.
730
00:33:55,458 --> 00:33:59,458
He says, $2 million,
$2.5 million, $3 million,
731
00:33:59,458 --> 00:34:00,833
$4 million.
732
00:34:00,958 --> 00:34:03,000
Oh my God. The money
was stacked this high,
733
00:34:03,125 --> 00:34:05,250
all $100 bills.
734
00:34:05,375 --> 00:34:07,292
He says, could you
believe this here?
735
00:34:07,417 --> 00:34:09,875
And we're still
not done counting.
736
00:34:10,042 --> 00:34:12,833
You talk about euphoria.
It was amazing.
737
00:34:12,958 --> 00:34:15,833
You know, the idea
that they essentially
738
00:34:15,958 --> 00:34:19,125
stumble upon 5 million,
almost $6 million,
739
00:34:19,125 --> 00:34:24,125
it's incredible, especially
in that day and age as money.
740
00:34:24,250 --> 00:34:27,333
I mean, this is more than
$20 million in today's money.
741
00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:32,125
The idea that that is
just one night's take,
742
00:34:32,250 --> 00:34:34,458
it's unbelievable.
743
00:34:34,583 --> 00:34:38,375
♪ ♪
744
00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:43,083
The next step should be
easy--get rid of the van.
745
00:34:43,208 --> 00:34:47,000
Jimmy Burke assigns
this job to crew member
746
00:34:47,167 --> 00:34:49,667
Parnell "Stacks" Edwards.
747
00:34:49,833 --> 00:34:51,167
♪ ♪
748
00:34:51,292 --> 00:34:53,375
When a mob uses
a car in a robbery,
749
00:34:53,542 --> 00:34:55,500
it's mandatory to
get rid of that car.
750
00:34:55,625 --> 00:34:58,125
Being there are so many
mob-related junkyards,
751
00:34:58,250 --> 00:35:00,542
you would send it to a
junkyard to get crushed.
752
00:35:00,667 --> 00:35:02,000
That's the plan here.
753
00:35:02,125 --> 00:35:06,083
Burke orders Stacks to make
the van disappear immediately.
754
00:35:06,208 --> 00:35:08,083
Stacks went over
his girlfriend's house,
755
00:35:08,208 --> 00:35:10,000
got drunk, and did some drugs,
756
00:35:10,167 --> 00:35:13,000
and he left the van on
the streets for two days
757
00:35:13,125 --> 00:35:15,542
parked illegally.
758
00:35:15,667 --> 00:35:19,500
Meanwhile, news of
the heist is everywhere.
759
00:35:19,667 --> 00:35:22,542
There was a holdup
of historic proportions
760
00:35:22,708 --> 00:35:25,000
at New York City's Kennedy
Airport this morning--
761
00:35:25,167 --> 00:35:28,000
Several million dollars
in cash and jewelry
762
00:35:28,125 --> 00:35:31,542
taken from a cargo hanger
by a band of armed men
763
00:35:31,667 --> 00:35:33,333
wearing masks.
764
00:35:33,333 --> 00:35:35,333
The news went viral.
765
00:35:35,333 --> 00:35:38,833
It was the biggest robbery
in airline history.
766
00:35:38,958 --> 00:35:43,250
And whispers about an
inside job are growing louder.
767
00:35:43,375 --> 00:35:45,875
Within days,
our informants told us
768
00:35:46,042 --> 00:35:47,833
that Jimmy Burke
and his crew
769
00:35:47,958 --> 00:35:49,292
were involved in the robbery.
770
00:35:49,417 --> 00:35:51,333
There's nothing
bigger and better.
771
00:35:51,458 --> 00:35:54,542
We walk around with
our chests like this.
772
00:35:54,708 --> 00:35:57,500
And the FBI said, well,
we know it was you guys.
773
00:35:57,625 --> 00:36:00,708
Well, if you knew it was us,
why don't you pinch us?
774
00:36:00,833 --> 00:36:02,458
The FBI got its first break
775
00:36:02,458 --> 00:36:04,833
when the New York City
Police Department
776
00:36:04,833 --> 00:36:10,292
called in the plates of a van
that was illegally parked.
777
00:36:10,292 --> 00:36:13,042
When they ran the plates,
determined that the van had
778
00:36:13,167 --> 00:36:16,833
been stolen, I specifically
was the individual
779
00:36:16,833 --> 00:36:18,167
who recovered that evidence.
780
00:36:18,292 --> 00:36:21,208
There were airway bills
from the Lufthansa,
781
00:36:21,375 --> 00:36:24,042
and also envelopes
were marked Lufthansa.
782
00:36:24,208 --> 00:36:26,083
What did they find?
They didn't find anything.
783
00:36:26,208 --> 00:36:27,708
They said they found
this, this, and that.
784
00:36:27,833 --> 00:36:29,667
They found nothing.
785
00:36:29,667 --> 00:36:33,750
A few days later,
New York City PD connected
786
00:36:33,875 --> 00:36:36,167
the van to Stack Edwards.
787
00:36:36,292 --> 00:36:38,292
I'm sure when
Jimmy Burke heard
788
00:36:38,292 --> 00:36:41,750
about Stacks and his failure
to get rid of the van,
789
00:36:41,875 --> 00:36:43,417
that he was livid.
790
00:36:43,542 --> 00:36:46,750
Stacks has to get rid of the
van, and he had one job to do,
791
00:36:46,875 --> 00:36:48,042
and he didn't do it.
792
00:36:48,208 --> 00:36:50,375
In Jimmy Burke's mind,
Stacks has to go.
793
00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:51,917
♪ ♪
794
00:36:57,542 --> 00:37:01,333
The Lufthansa heist
went off without a hitch.
795
00:37:01,333 --> 00:37:04,625
When Jimmy Burke hears that
someone didn't do their job,
796
00:37:04,750 --> 00:37:07,833
he sends
Tommy "Two Gun" DeSimone
797
00:37:07,958 --> 00:37:10,667
to take care of the problem.
798
00:37:10,792 --> 00:37:16,042
When NYPD tracked
Stacks to his apartment,
799
00:37:16,208 --> 00:37:18,667
they found him dead.
800
00:37:18,792 --> 00:37:21,292
In that life if you're
told to do something,
801
00:37:21,417 --> 00:37:22,792
there's a reason
you're told to do it,
802
00:37:22,917 --> 00:37:25,542
and you don't do it,
your life is at risk.
803
00:37:25,708 --> 00:37:28,667
With $6 million on
the line and pressure
804
00:37:28,833 --> 00:37:32,042
building from the FBI,
Burke is determined
805
00:37:32,167 --> 00:37:34,000
to tie up loose ends.
806
00:37:34,167 --> 00:37:36,958
Stacks Edwards
is only the first.
807
00:37:36,958 --> 00:37:41,042
The first person Louie Werner
contacted to get to the mob
808
00:37:41,167 --> 00:37:44,000
disappeared in January 1979.
809
00:37:44,167 --> 00:37:48,625
Around that same period,
Tommy DeSimone also vanished.
810
00:37:48,625 --> 00:37:51,458
Jimmy starts killing
people because people
811
00:37:51,583 --> 00:37:53,792
start spending a couple of
dollars that he gave them.
812
00:37:53,917 --> 00:37:55,500
He got paranoid.
813
00:37:55,625 --> 00:37:59,125
They bought cars, mink coats
and fur coats for their wives,
814
00:37:59,250 --> 00:38:00,667
jewelry, watches.
815
00:38:00,792 --> 00:38:04,292
If members of your crew
are spending a lot of money,
816
00:38:04,292 --> 00:38:06,500
it brings attention to you.
817
00:38:06,625 --> 00:38:08,542
Throughout the course
of the investigation,
818
00:38:08,708 --> 00:38:11,375
it seemed like
we were just a step
819
00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:13,750
or two behind Jimmy Burke.
820
00:38:13,875 --> 00:38:15,500
Every time I went out
821
00:38:15,500 --> 00:38:19,042
to talk to one of
Jimmy Burke's associates
822
00:38:19,208 --> 00:38:21,375
that was
involved in the robbery,
823
00:38:21,500 --> 00:38:25,125
it seemed that they
would end up dead.
824
00:38:25,250 --> 00:38:26,375
[dramatic musical sting]
825
00:38:26,500 --> 00:38:29,000
Investigators
are also determined.
826
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:33,000
They need to find the inside
man before he disappears too.
827
00:38:33,125 --> 00:38:35,083
♪ ♪
828
00:38:35,208 --> 00:38:37,958
Poor Peter Gruenwald
finds out about the heist
829
00:38:37,958 --> 00:38:40,083
at the same time that the rest
of the world does.
830
00:38:40,208 --> 00:38:43,833
He gets so panicked that he
decides to flee the country,
831
00:38:43,958 --> 00:38:47,333
and he's arrested
while trying to flee.
832
00:38:47,333 --> 00:38:50,833
Gruenwald admits
that the plan was his,
833
00:38:50,833 --> 00:38:54,333
but he tells investigators
he didn't act on it,
834
00:38:54,458 --> 00:38:57,333
and that Louie Werner
brought it to the mob.
835
00:38:57,458 --> 00:38:59,500
Werner winds up
being the only person
836
00:38:59,625 --> 00:39:01,667
convicted for the
Lufthansa hijacking.
837
00:39:01,792 --> 00:39:04,333
The very next day after
Werner is convicted
838
00:39:04,333 --> 00:39:06,417
and starts talking
about Joe Buddha,
839
00:39:06,542 --> 00:39:07,958
Joe Buddha is murdered.
840
00:39:07,958 --> 00:39:11,000
Law enforcement found
Joe Buddha dead on May 17.
841
00:39:11,125 --> 00:39:14,792
They shot him in the head
in a car in Brooklyn
842
00:39:14,917 --> 00:39:15,875
and left him there.
843
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:19,458
Eventually,
police link 12 murders
844
00:39:19,583 --> 00:39:21,458
to the Lufthansa heist.
845
00:39:21,458 --> 00:39:25,208
Even more, a classified
was potentially linked.
846
00:39:25,375 --> 00:39:27,375
In organized crime circles,
847
00:39:27,542 --> 00:39:30,000
knowing too much about this heist
848
00:39:30,167 --> 00:39:32,125
is a death sentence.
849
00:39:32,250 --> 00:39:34,667
People are getting killed
around Jimmy left and right.
850
00:39:34,792 --> 00:39:37,292
I would say
approximately between 20
851
00:39:37,292 --> 00:39:40,792
and 30 people got killed, massacred.
852
00:39:40,792 --> 00:39:43,375
Not killed, I would say
"massacred," more or less.
853
00:39:43,542 --> 00:39:45,208
The Lufthansa heist
is definitely
854
00:39:45,333 --> 00:39:48,500
one of the deadliest robberies
that's ever been committed.
855
00:39:48,625 --> 00:39:50,458
As the body count escalates,
856
00:39:50,458 --> 00:39:54,542
the FBI recovers $60,000
from Louis Werner,
857
00:39:54,708 --> 00:39:58,708
but more than
$5 million simply vanishes.
858
00:39:58,875 --> 00:40:02,792
Jimmy got the lion's
share of the money.
859
00:40:02,792 --> 00:40:06,292
Because of the people
who were getting killed,
860
00:40:06,417 --> 00:40:09,042
he was keeping their share.
861
00:40:09,167 --> 00:40:10,542
That's how it
goes in the mob.
862
00:40:10,708 --> 00:40:13,167
The guy at the top is
getting most of the money,
863
00:40:13,292 --> 00:40:18,208
and the cuts underneath that
just get smaller and smaller.
864
00:40:18,333 --> 00:40:21,708
Vinny and I received
$750,000 apiece.
865
00:40:21,833 --> 00:40:24,167
A lot of guys never
received a full amount.
866
00:40:24,292 --> 00:40:28,500
And the rest of the loot,
$60,000 from Louis Verna,
867
00:40:28,500 --> 00:40:31,333
well, that's all the
police ever recover.
868
00:40:31,458 --> 00:40:33,625
In the end,
Jimmy Burke is convicted,
869
00:40:33,750 --> 00:40:35,625
not for the greatest
airline heist in history
870
00:40:35,750 --> 00:40:37,375
or all the murders
that followed,
871
00:40:37,542 --> 00:40:39,083
but for his involvement
872
00:40:39,208 --> 00:40:42,500
in a conspiracy to fix
college basketball games.
873
00:40:42,625 --> 00:40:45,667
Burke died in prison in 1996.
874
00:40:45,667 --> 00:40:48,875
In the late 1970s,
a detailed analysis
875
00:40:49,042 --> 00:40:52,167
of the security measures
at JFK is undertaken
876
00:40:52,333 --> 00:40:53,792
by Port Authority officials,
877
00:40:53,917 --> 00:40:56,833
although some call it
too little too late.
878
00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:58,583
Security in
the cargo buildings
879
00:40:58,708 --> 00:41:00,375
changed dramatically.
880
00:41:00,542 --> 00:41:02,667
We put cameras in all
the cargo buildings
881
00:41:02,792 --> 00:41:05,417
that went right into
our police desks
882
00:41:05,542 --> 00:41:09,375
so we also could see
what was going on.
883
00:41:09,542 --> 00:41:12,792
Gary Valenti and his
cousin Vincent Asaro
884
00:41:12,917 --> 00:41:15,333
are the last living
survivors of the team
885
00:41:15,333 --> 00:41:17,208
associated with the heist.
886
00:41:17,375 --> 00:41:21,167
In 2015, Gary testified
against Asaro,
887
00:41:21,333 --> 00:41:23,083
regarding his
cousin's involvement
888
00:41:23,208 --> 00:41:24,583
in the Lufthansa job.
889
00:41:24,708 --> 00:41:26,667
Once I couldn't be
an earner anymore,
890
00:41:26,792 --> 00:41:28,708
you know, in that life,
that's how you survive.
891
00:41:28,875 --> 00:41:32,125
Either you earn,
you're dead,
892
00:41:32,125 --> 00:41:34,042
or you're on a shelf.
893
00:41:34,208 --> 00:41:36,125
So I said, you know what?
894
00:41:37,875 --> 00:41:39,833
I'm gonna become
an informant.
895
00:41:39,958 --> 00:41:41,833
I decided.
I made up my mind.
896
00:41:41,958 --> 00:41:46,708
I cleared my soul,
and I wanna testify.
897
00:41:46,875 --> 00:41:49,917
To the surprise of everyone,
including the defendant,
898
00:41:50,042 --> 00:41:52,667
Vincent Asaro is acquitted
on all charges
899
00:41:52,833 --> 00:41:55,458
relating to the heist
that started right here
900
00:41:55,458 --> 00:41:57,833
in Lufthansa's Building 261.
901
00:41:57,833 --> 00:42:00,458
What began as
one worker's fantasy
902
00:42:00,583 --> 00:42:03,833
became the most
infamous heist in mob history,
903
00:42:03,958 --> 00:42:07,208
its bloody aftermath,
immortalized in "Goodfellas,"
904
00:42:07,375 --> 00:42:09,917
with dozens killed and a take
905
00:42:10,042 --> 00:42:13,167
worth more than $20 million
in today's dollars.
906
00:42:13,292 --> 00:42:17,833
The Lufthansa job belongs with
history's greatest heists.
907
00:42:17,958 --> 00:42:21,167
[dramatic music]
908
00:42:21,292 --> 00:42:23,125
♪ ♪