Anthony “Bruno” Indelicato (Bonanno soldier) He is currently serving a twenty-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to a count of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder, and a charge of conspiracy to sell marijuana. He is scheduled for release in September 2023.
Martin Krugman (mob associate) He owned men’s hair-piece retailer For Men Only and was also a bookmaker. Krugman disappeared in January 1979, a month after the Lufthansa heist. He served as the intermediary between Louis Werner and the Robert’s Lounge crew, which pulled off the airport robbery. Krugman, who is believed to have been killed and dismembered by James Burke, was declared legally dead in 1986. His character, known as Morris Kessler in the film GoodFellas, was played by Chuck Low.
Stephen Laifer (defense attorney) He continued to practice criminal law in Brooklyn after defending Louis Werner. Laifer died in September 1979, a few months after the verdict in the Werner trial.
Paolo Licastri (Bonanno associate, Lufthansa heist participant) He was found murdered in a vacant lot in Brooklyn in June 1983.
Elizabeth Macedonio (defense attorney) She maintains an active criminal-defense practice in Manhattan.
Edward McDonald (prosecutor) He went on after the Lufthansa investigation to lead the Brooklyn Organized Crime Strike Force for the federal government. As a prosecutor, he secured a number of major convictions, including those of Bronx Congressman Mario Biaggi and Brooklyn Democratic Leader Meade Esposito, as well as that of New Jersey Senator Harrison Williams in the Abscam case. He left government service in 1989 and eventually became a partner at the Manhattan law firm of Dechert LLP. He was representing former Bonanno crime boss Joseph Massino at the time he decided to cooperate with the FBI. McDonald played himself in the film GoodFellas.
Robert “Frenchy” McMahon (mob associate) He took part in the Lufthansa heist and was found murdered in Brooklyn on May 16, 1979.
Joseph Manri (mob associate) He took part in the Lufthansa heist and was found murdered with McMahon on May 16, 1979.
Joseph Massino (former Bonanno crime family boss) He became a government witness in July 2004 following his federal racketeering conviction for among other things six gangland murders. Massino was released from prison in the summer of 2013 and is currently living in the federal witness protection program. While expected to be called as a witness in the Asaro trial, the government opted not to use him.
Frank Menna (businessman) He had occasionally gambled and introduced Louis Werner to Krugman who functioned as a bookmaker. Krugman eventually introduced Werner to Burke’s Lufthansa gang. His whereabouts are unknown.
Adam Mininni (FBI agent) He is currently assigned to the FBI office in New York City.
Daniel Rizzo (Lucchese crime family member and heist participant) He was sentenced in 1999 to thirty months in federal prison and fined $5,000 for extortion in the New York garment district. He died shortly before Asaro’s October 2015 trial where he was named in testimony by witness Gaspare Valenti as being one of the Lufthansa heist participants.
Vincent Santa (associate of James Burke) He was a former NYPD cop who left the department under a cloud. Santa was known on the street as “Jimmy Santos.” He is said to have been a major link between Burke and corrupt cops who passed along law-enforcement information and the names of informants, allegedly for a price. Prosecutors said he died in the 1990s.
Angelo Sepe (Lufthansa heist participant) He was a member of Burke’s crew and also is believed to have taken part in the murder of Richard Eaton. Sepe was found shot to death in the basement of an apartment in Brooklyn on July 18, 1984, along with girlfriend Joanne Lombardo, eighteen. His place of interment is unknown.
Gaspare Valenti (mob associate) He decided to turn his back on the mob life and became a government informant against his cousin Vincent Asaro. Valenti testified at Asaro’s 2015 trial about his alleged involvement in the Lufthansa heist and the murder of mob associate Paul Katz. Valenti is now living in the witness security program and awaiting sentence for earlier federal crimes.
Paul Vario (Lucchese captain and consiglieri) He died in federal prison in May 1988 where he had been serving a sentence for racketeering. He is buried in St. John Cemetery in Middle Village, New York. Actor Paul Sorvino played Vario’s character, known as Paul Cicero, in the film GoodFellas.
Louis Werner (Lufthansa heist conspirator) He was the only person ever convicted of involvement in the Lufthansa heist for his role as an inside man who gave crucial information to the robbers. He was convicted in May 1979, sentenced to fifteen years in prison and then cooperated with the government, which relocated him. Werner married his girlfriend Janet Barbieri. He is reported to have died in 2007.
Robert Ypelaar (FBI agent) He remains a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
John Zaffarano (son of Michael Zaffarano, cousin of Vincent Asaro) Along with his mother, he inherited his father’s sizeable estate after his father died in 1980. He decided to sell his father’s Times Square area real estate and related holdings for $18.5 million. He is now living in Florida and testified in the trial of Vincent Asaro.
Michael Zaffarano (Bonanno crime family captain) He was Asaro’s uncle and a major mob player in the pornographic film business from the 1960s until his death of a heart attack during an FBI raid at his Times Square area office in 1980.
Peter Zuccaro (former Gambino associate) He was released in the summer of 2012 after serving a federal sentence of eight years and one day. He is currently in the witness relocation program and has testified in a number of major Mafia trials, including those of John A. Gotti, Charles Carneglia, and Dominick Pizzonia.
NOTES
Chapter One, “The Message from the Bones”
The bulk of the material for this chapter comes from the testimony of forensic anthropologist Bradley Adams in the trial of U.S. v. Vincent Asaro, 14-CR-26 (EDNY). In addition, Mr. Adams recounted in an interview with the author his experience in the June 2013 dig in the basement of the house on 102nd Road in Ozone Park, which uncovered the remains of Paul Katz. The author also examined crime-scene photos of the dig site showing, among other things, the bones as they were found.
Chapter Two, “The Feds Are All Over . . .”
Details of Gaspare Valenti’s thoughts and actions are contained in his testimony in the trial of Vincent Asaro as well as that of FBI agents Robert Yeplaar and Adam Mininni. See trial record and case file in U.S. v. Asaro 14-CR-26 (EDNY). Author also interviewed attorney Scott Fenstermaker, who represented Valenti.
Chapter Three, “A Goodfella’s Lament”
See case file in U.S. v. Asaro 14-CR-26 (EDNY). The early history of Vincent Asaro and his father Jerome Asaro can be seen in articles published about Jerome in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Brooklyn Eagle, The Long Island Star Journal, and The New York Times. Vincent Asaro’s earlier criminal record is contained in court filings in U.S. v. Asaro. Government and police documents detail the meetings of the Bonanno crime family in the 1990s, as well as reports of bodies buried in the basement of Robert’s Lounge. Details of the arraignment of the defendants in the 2014 Lufthansa case are contained in the court transcript. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for The Eastern District of New York published a news release about the arrests in the Asaro case. The post-arraignment comments of defense attorney Gerald McMahon are found in The Daily News and New York Post.
Chapter Four, “Super Thief”
Robert Cudak’s testimony is contained in Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee of Government Operations, Organized Crime: Stolen Securities, Part 1, Ninety-Second Congress, First Session. June 8–10 and 16, 1971. Cudak’s testimony was also reported in The New York Times, as was the testimony of Cosmos Cangiano. The history of John F. Kennedy International Airport is found in The New York Times and the website of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The battle over whether the New York Waterfront Commission should take over policing of cargo activity at the airports was chronicled in
The New York Times from 1968 to 1972.
Chapter Five, “We Will Get You”
Material for this chapter is found in the case file of U.S. v. Thomas DeSimone, 73-CR-336 (EDNY), U.S. v. James Burke et. al., 74-CR-623 (EDNY). Also see Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi for Henry Hill’s comments and observations.
Chapter Six, Tales of the Gold Bug
Attorney Joel Winograd, who represented Paul Vario for many years, provided perspective on his client’s life in several interviews. Details about the ownership of Geffken’s bar can be found in New York City property records. Vario’s early criminal record and rape case was written about in detail in The Long Island Daily Press and The Leader-Observer (Queens) in the years 1937 to 1940. Former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes was interviewed by email about the genesis of the Gold Bug investigation. The Gold Bug case results, including the prosecution of certain NYPD police officers, was reported extensively in The New York Times, as well as in Newsweek and Time magazines.
Chapter Seven, “I Got a Couple of Million”
Information in this chapter comes from the case file and testimony in U.S. v. Louis Werner, 79 US 89 (EDNY).
Chapter Eight, The Ring
Information in this chapter comes from the trial record of U.S. v. Werner. In addition, it comes from Hill’s recollections in the books Wiseguy by Pileggi and The Great Lufthansa Heist, which Hill co-authored with Dan Simone. The author also had access to previously undisclosed NYPD and other law-enforcement files.
Chapter Nine, “My God, You Lost Millions”
The recollections of witnesses to events surrounding and during the heist are contained in the trial transcripts of U.S. v. Werner. DeSimone’s excited statement about finding the cash is found in the trial transcript of U.S. v. Asaro. Kerry Whalen’s account of his actions and life story are contained in his book, Inside the Lufthansa Hei$t: The FBI Lied. Contemporary news accounts of the heist are found in The New York Times, The Daily News, Newsday, and the New York Post.
Chapter Ten, The Friends Who Hurt You
Details of the approach of Paul Vario by the FBI were provided by his attorney Joel Winograd. Other persons who were interviewed and provided information for this chapter were Steve Carbone and Edward McDonald. Court records consulted were those in the case file of U.S. v. Werner. NYPD files made available to the author contain details of some of the murders of the Lufthansa participants. Details of the incident where Gruenewald and Werner confronted each other in the Brooklyn Strike Force offices are contained in Pileggi’s book Wiseguy. Newspapers consulted for this chapter were the The New York Times and Newsday.
Chapter Eleven, “See, Big Mouth”
Most of the information for this chapter came from the case file of U.S. v. Werner. Additional information was found in summaries of debriefings of Henry Hill in NYPD and other law-enforcement files.
Chapter Twelve, Dead Fellas . . . and Gals
Information for this chapter came from the case file of U.S. v. Asaro and the docket sheet of U.S. v. Salvatore Santoro, 85-CR-100 (EDNY). Also consulted was the case file of People v. Burke, Indictment 395-84, Brooklyn State Supreme Court. Additional matter was found in Pileggi’s Wiseguy, The New York Times and Newsday. The New York Times was relied upon for information about the Boston College basketball point shaving case. Those interviewed were Ed McDonald and Steve Carbone. Information about Vario’s and Burke’s interments can be found on the website for FindaGrave.
Chapter Thirteen, The Shakedown Guy
Details of the state criminal case against Vincent Asaro are found in a November 19, 1998, news release about his conviction from the Queens County district attorney’s office; articles about the trial in The New York Times and New York Daily News; Guy Gralto’s experiences with the stolen car and chop-shop business is contained in testimony contained in U.S. v. Trucchio 03-CR-60267 (SDFL) as well as testimony in U.S. v. Asaro. A law-enforcement official provided additional details about Gralto’s activities and about Asaro’s conviction. Information about Paul Castellano’s involvement in a different car-theft ring can be found in The New York Times; the author covered part of the trial involving Castellano’s co-defendants in 1986.
Chapter Fourteen, “We’re in Trouble”
Details of the arrest of Joseph Massino and events following it in January 2003 can be found in the author’s book King of the Godfathers: “Big Joey” Massino and the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family. Details of the infamous rape and assault case at the Sea Crest Diner can be found in The New York Times and Newsday. Information about the organization of the Bonanno crime family in the early 1990s and the transcripts of taped conversations related in this chapter were prepared in the cases of U.S. v. Massino and U.S. v. Basciano and made available to the author. Government documents concerning the statements of various government witnesses were also made available to the author.
Chapter Fifteen, Never Say Never
Much of the information contained in this chapter can be found in the documents filed in U.S. v. Asaro. Defense attorney Steven Zissou gave the author a number of interviews and related details of defense strategy. Details of the sentencing of Jerome Asaro can be found in the case file for U.S. v. Asaro and stories in the Daily News.
Chapter Sixteen, Dead Men Told No Tales
See case file and related documents in U.S. v. Asaro. Elizabeth Macedonio also was interviewed on a number of occasions by the author.
Chapter Seventeen, “Score of Scores”
Biographical information about Judge Allyne Ross is found in her official biography found at www.edny7.uscourts.gov and at www.wikipedia.com; biographical information about Nicole Argentieri, Alicyn Cooley, Leslie Gerges, Elizabeth Macedonio, and Diane Ferrone is found in the attorney directory of the New York State Office of Court Administration, www.linkedin.com, www.google.com, www.wikipedia.com, and the websites of the private attorneys. Diane Ferrone also was interviewed by the author. The opening statements are found in the trial transcript of U.S. v. Asaro.
Chapter Eighteen, “Come Dressed”
Information about Valenti’s testimony is found in the trial transcript of U.S. v. Asaro. Intelligence information about the death of Paul Katz, the way James Burke paid his way out of an arrest and investigations into allegations of police corruption and misconduct related to the Katz case is found in law-enforcement files reviewed by the author.
Chapter Nineteen, This Is It
See trial transcript of Valenti’s testimony in U.S. v. Asaro.
Chapter Twenty, All in the Family
See trial transcript of Valenti’s testimony in U.S. v. Asaro. Information about Anthony Valenti was provided by stories in The Daily News and a video clip found at www.youtube.com. The author’s story in Newsday about the property deals surrounding the estate of Michael Zaffarano detailed the negotiations and money raised in the transactions. See trial transcript of the testimony of Kerry Whalen and Carmine Muscarella in U.S. v. Asaro.
Chapter Twenty-one, “What Is This, Watergate?”
See trial transcript of testimony and summations in U.S. v. Asaro. News reports in the Daily News highlighted Asaro’s exasperation and comments about the testimony.
Chapter Twenty-two, “Free!”
See trial transcript of verdict in U.S. v. Asaro. The author was also present in the courtroom and outside the courthouse when the verdict of acquittal was taken. The scene outside the courthouse and news reports from the day of the acquittal are also found at www.youtube.com.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Blumenthal, Ralph. The Last Days of the Sicilians: At War with The Mafia—The FBI Assault on The Pizza Connection. New York: Times Books, 1988.
Bonavolonta, Jules, and Brian Duffy. The Good Guys: How We Turned the FBI ’Round—and Finally Broke the Mob. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
Carlo, Philip. Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss. New York: Harper, 2009.
DeStefano, Anthony. Gangland New York: The Faces and Places of Mob
History. Guilford, Conn: Lyons Press, 2015.
———. King of The Godfathers: “Big Joey” Massino and the Fall of The Bonanno Crime Family. New York: Citadel Press, 2006.
Hill, Henry. A Goodfellas Guide to New York: Your Personal Tour Through the Mob’s Notorious Haunts, Hair-Raising Crime Scenes, and Infamous Hot Spots. New York: Random House, 2003.
———, and Daniel Simone. The Lufthansa Heist: Behind the Six-Million-Dollar Cash Haul That Shook the World. Guilford, Conn: Lyons Press, 2015.
Lance, Peter. Deal with the Devil: The FBI’s Secret Thirty-Year Relationship with a Mafia Killer. New York: HarperCollins, 2013.
Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Gangsters: A Worldwide Guide to Organized Crime. New York: Thunder’s Mouth, 2007.
Pileggi, Nicholas. Wiseguy. New York: Pocket Books. 1985.
Raab, Selwyn: The Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2005.
Volkman, Ernest, and John Cummings. The Heist: How a Gang Stole $8 Million at Kennedy Airport and Lived to Regret It. Franklin Watts: New York, 1986.
Whalen, Kerry: Inside The Lufthansa Hei$t: The FBI Lied, e-book: New York, 2013.
Court Documents and Cases
James Burke v. Mann, 93-CV-5017, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
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