Notorious Mobster Vinny Asaro, Linked to Infamous Lufthansa Heist Featured in 'Goodfellas', Dead at 86

Vinny Asaro, member of the Bonanno crime family and suspected player in the 1978 $6 million Lufthansa heist, dies three years after being granted compassionate release from prison due to poor health.

• Vinny Asaro, a suspected participant and member of the Bonanno crime family involved in the 1978 $6 million Lufthansa heist, died at age 86. His exact cause of death remains unclear.
• Asaro was granted compassionate release from prison three years prior to his death due to his deteriorating health conditions, including a stroke he suffered in 2019 that left him partially paralyzed and with aphasia.
• He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2017 after pleading guilty to arranging for someone to set a car on fire that cut him off in traffic. Despite accusations and first-hand testimonies, he was acquitted for his alleged involvement in the Lufthansa heist in 2015.
• The infamous Lufthansa heist, in which six armed thieves stole around $6 million in cash and jewels from the Lufthansa Airlines cargo terminal at JFK International Airport, was featured in the 1990 film 'Goodfellas', with Robert De Niro playing the leader of the heist.
• Born into a family with ties to organized crime, Asaro rose to the rank of 'capo' in the Bonanno family by the mid-1970s. Despite his criminal history and notoriety, his release from prison was seen as not posing any danger to the public due to his age and health condition.

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