The Greatest Lufthansa Robbery - Essay Sample

Introduction

According to Patricia & Bauer, Lufthansa robbery was one of the greatest and well-organized heists in New York City on 11th December 1978. The Robbery involved stealing of $5.875 million from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The sources of the money involved exchange from tourists who visited the city. Lufthansa could then fly the currency to the cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The money got stored in the safe banker in the warehouse get deposited into the bank. On that base, some workers like Louis Werner and Gruenwald, who worked at the airport, knew about the money movement and everything around the warehouse. The investigation unveiled that the two gentlemen had previously succeeded in stealing $22,000 from different foreign currencies. Although, there existed other robberies mostly carried out by city mafias and their associates. The Lufthansa heist involved workers, experienced robbers, and organizers.

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Working Procedure

The heist was triggered by a debt Louis Werner, a clerk at the warehouse and spent his money on gambling. Werner owed Krugman $20,000 who was a gambler; Werner, therefore, approached Krugman a bookmarker and explained to him the working procedure of Lufthansa and the idea he had of robbing the place. Krugman lacked knowledge on execution mechanism, and he asked assistance from Henry Hill, who had access to Jimmy Burke, the mastermind of the Robbery. Burke owned a pub, and they could communicate regularly with other robbers. Therefore, they asked Werner to come up with a map of the area, and they organized how to execute the plan. Burke organized the robbers and the escape plan, and they agreed on how to share the money. Each participant received $10,000 to $50,000 of the $2 million they targeted to steal “Lufthansa Heist.” However, the share would be determined by the amount they will manage to steal. Other conspirators included Angelo Sepe, Louis Cafora, Joe Manri, Robert McMahon, and Paolo LiCastri “the Real Story of the Lufthansa Heist, the Mafia, and Murder.” Alongside those who will be in the warehouse, a backup driver called Frank (Burke's son) and Parnell Edward, who was tasked with disposing the van at junk where it was to be destroyed after the Robbery.

The Robbers

The heist was successful since the robbers were able to assemble the twelve workers working that night in a lunchroom based on Werner's briefing about the number of workers and their expected locations. Again, the lack of enough security men in the warehouse since only one security man was available that night. The robbers apprehended the manager, and they accessed the safe room after switching off the alarm. Unfortunately, two of the robbers outside in the van removed their face masks, and a worker who was passing by noticed the van. He got captured and put on the truck and threatened that they would kill him if he reported them to the police. They were able to steal the money and jewelry and escaped unnoticed. They met Burke at auto repair, where they exchanged the cars and distributed the money into vehicles that drove into directions.

I learned that the robbers avoided killing any worker during the heist to prevent making their case complex if they were caught. Again, many such robberies entail partnership with both workers from the facility and the robbers. A total of $5 million and $875 000 in jewelry was stolen and never got recovered. Lufthansa was the greatest Robbery that ever happened in America at that time. The success of every task is dependent on planning, organization, and execution strategy. Also, preparing for any eventual risk is important. The robbers stationed a backup car with two robbers that were supposed to keep watch and disrupt any police that would have approached. Also, even in robberies, there is always one who acts as the manager and helps organize others. Again, the money wasn't marked, and it was hard to trace it; thus, it disappeared and never got discovered. It is also surprising that one security officer secured the area. Edward could have been undecided and doubted his counterparts' sincerity; thus, he went into hiding after the Robbery.

Although the suspects tried to cover up any trace, Edward, who was to dispose of the van in a yard and have it destroyed, failed on his part “the Real Story of the Lufthansa Heist, the Mafia, and Murder.” Instead, he left the van outside his girlfriend's house and went into hiding. The police were able to recognize the van, and after dusting, they traced Edward's fingerprints. Burke hitmen later killed him. The police were also able to investigate Werner and Henry and started tracking them. However, Burke used all mechanisms to avoid been mentioned by killing all the participants. He was arrested and prosecuted related to other crimes. Louis Werner got arrested as the only person related to the Lufthansa robbery and got sentenced to fifteen years.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Lufthansa was one of the serious robberies that caught the police unaware of the organization, planning, and execution. The heist's success was necessitated by the robber's organization and the Lufthansa's failure to deploy a proper security mechanism that could have thwarted or alarmed the police. However, proper organization and planning of any risk made the Robbery hard for the police to recover the money.

Works Cited

Bauer, Patricia. “Lufthansa Heist.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 Dec. 2020, www.britannica.com/event/Lufthansa-heist.

Destefano, Anthony M. BIG HEIST: the Real Story of the Lufthansa Heist, the Mafia, and Murder. Citadel PC, 2019.

“The Men That Stole $8 Million From JFK Airport | Daring Capers S1 EP4 | Wonder.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 June 2020, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6-dn2GuqsY.