The Great American Heist: Stream a reenactment of the infamous 1978 Lufthansa Robbery on Fox Nation
Fox Nation takes an inside look at one of the largest cash and jewel heists in American history
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}$6 million. That’s how much was nearly stolen in cash and jewels in the infamous 1978 Lufthansa Robbery.
On Dec. 11, 1978, around $5 million in cash and $1 million in jewels disappeared from the Lufthansa cargo terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. The robbery was suspected to be led by Lucchese crime associate Jimmy Burke and the rest of his crew.
Now, "The Great American Heist," a three-part exclusive series for Fox Nation subscribers to enjoy, unravels the story behind the infamous robbery that inspired Martin Scorsese's hit film, Goodfellas. The new Fox Nation series takes an inside look at one of the largest robberies in U.S. history, and it’s guaranteed to steal your attention.
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The headline-dominating heist was reportedly spearheaded by Burke, who inspired Robert De Niro's character Jimmy "The Gent" Conway in the 1990 film; considered the mastermind behind the robbery, Burke left a trail of blood with murders that followed.
He also left a trail of murderers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tommy DeSimone, who inspired Joe Pesci's character, Tommy DeVito, was claimed to be one of Burke’s hitmen in the Lufthansa robbery. Known for his bad temper, DeSimone was nicknamed "Two-Gun Tommy," as he always carried two weapons on him and was allegedly quick to shoot.
"Two-Gun Tommy had quite a mob pedigree," Fox News senior correspondent and Fox Nation host Eric Shawn, a commentator in the special, described.
After all, it was in his blood.
"He was the grandson and the nephew of two Los Angeles mob bosses, Rosario and Frank DeSimone," Shawn added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other commentators in the Fox Nation series characterized DeSimone as a "pretty brutal guy," responsible for several murders. Together, the two mobsters, Burke and DeSimone, were deemed "sociopaths," and had no qualms about killing dozens of people.
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As ‘The Great American Heist’ explores, Burke later added Angelo Sepe to his mob crew, who had reportedly met DeSimone at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Sepe was known to be a "tough guy" and carried out aggressive missions for Burke – including punching some guy’s lights out and collecting cash.
The special spotlights Sepe as a killer, much like the rest of Burke’s crew, who gained the trust of the suspected mastermind. Burke was big on loyalty and Sepe proved just that to him with his eventual involvement in the infamous heist.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though more than four decades have passed since the Lufthansa Heist gripped the nation, its allure lives on.
Fox Nation subscribers can now follow the crime, the murders, and the investigation that followed to find out who got pinched, who got whacked and who walked away unscathed — protected by the government in their attempt to gather information while trying to crack the case.
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Fox News' Laura Carrione contributed to this report.