Mobster offers inside look at Lufthansa 'Goodfellas' heist
NEW YORK (AP) — The robbery crew that pulled off one of the biggest heists in U.S. history — the $6 million Lufthansa theft immortalized in "Goodfellas" — was elated at first, but became fearful of being robbed itself, a turncoat mobster testified Tuesday at the trial of his former Mafia boss.
The defendant, Vincent Asaro, was "very happy, really euphoric" when he learned about the mountain of $100 bills scored in the armed holdup in 1978, Gaspare Valenti told a jury in Brooklyn federal court.
After taking the witness stand Tuesday, Valenti, 68, was asked to point out Asaro in the courtroom and describe an article of clothing he was wearing — a blue V-neck sweater.
The plan called for Valenti and another robber to take a stolen black van to the airport terminal and use bolt cutters to break into a side entrance, he said.
The crew forced one of the workers to open a safe, where they discovered dozens of boxes containing packets holding $125,000 each, bags of gold chains and containers with precious gems that they threw into the van, he said.