Inside the Lufthansa HEI$T: The FBI Lied

It was a bitterly cold autumn night in 1978, at a deserted end of the cargo area of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. At 3:00 a.m., the most notorious armed robbery in American history started to unfold, and so did the meticulous planning of the mastermind. Thirty minutes into the robbery, a Lufthansa German Airlines cargo worker arrived at the back of the building and crossed the path of three heavily armed wiseguys from Brooklyn. A bloody encounter ensued and the wiseguys took control of the building and all ten of its employees. The wiseguys, later to be known as Goodfellas, emptied the Valuable Room and made their record-breaking cash withdrawal. In just over one hour, the wiseguys drove away with the Mother Lode, five million bucks in untraceable cash and supposedly a big payoff for each of them. Forget everything in the newspapers about the diligent investigation initiated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. It never happened. What is true? The bloody trail of murder; a dozen people including a wife and a girlfriend. From the very start, the investigation into the $5,850,000 heist was bungled by the feds with their incompetence, disregard for the law, lies, threats and one-way street attitude. A newspaper reported, “It’s disorganized law enforcement, against organized crime.” I crossed the path of the wiseguys and FBI. I was that cargo worker. I kept notes. This is my story.

It was a bitterly cold autumn night in 1978, at a deserted end of the cargo area of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. At 3:00 a.m., the most notorious armed robbery in American history started to unfold, and so did the meticulous planning of the mastermind. Thirty minutes into the robbery, a Lufthansa German Airlines cargo worker arrived at the back of the building and crossed the path of three heavily armed wiseguys from Brooklyn. A bloody encounter ensued and the wiseguys took control of the building and all ten of its employees. The wiseguys, later to be known as Goodfellas, emptied the Valuable Room and made their record-breaking cash withdrawal. In just over one hour, the wiseguys drove away with the Mother Lode, five million bucks in untraceable cash and supposedly a big payoff for each of them. Forget everything in the newspapers about the diligent investigation initiated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. It never happened. What is true? The bloody trail of murder; a dozen people including a wife and a girlfriend. From the very start, the investigation into the $5,850,000 heist was bungled by the feds with their incompetence, disregard for the law, lies, threats and one-way street attitude. A newspaper reported, “It’s disorganized law enforcement, against organized crime.” I crossed the path of the wiseguys and FBI. I was that cargo worker. I kept notes. This is my story.

Kerry Whalen is a Registered Nurse and a writer. After his own experience as a victim of a violent crime during the Lufthansa heist of 1978, Kerry became an advocate for crime victims. His hobbies include the stock market, carpentry, and the culinary arts. His past volunteer experience includes the Elmont Fire Department. Born in Long Island City, he has been a lifelong resident of the south shore of Long Island, N.Y.