Lufthansa heist: History and Key Facts

The Lufthansa heist was a robbery which took place at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, New York, United States, on December 11, 1978. An estimated US$5.875 million (equivalent to $29 million in 2025) was stolen, with $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry, making it the largest cash robbery committed in U.S. history at the time.

James Burke, an associate of the Lucchese crime family, was reputed to be the mastermind of the heist, but was never officially charged in connection with the crime. Burke is also alleged to have either committed or ordered the murders of many co-conspirators in the heist, both to avoid being implicated and to keep their shares of the money for himself. The only person convicted in the heist was Louis Werner, an airport worker involved with the planning.

The money and jewelry have never been recovered. The heist's magnitude made it one of the longest-investigated crimes in U.S. history; the latest arrest associated with the robbery was made in 2014, which resulted in acquittal.

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