“What did I tell you?!” said Jimmy Burke, played by Robert DeNiro in Goodfellas, chiding his associate from a recently concluded big robbery, “What did I tell you? Don’t buy anything don’t spend anything … You’re going to get us pinched!” DeNiro was channeling the real-life Jimmy Burke, a lieutenant of the Lucchese crime syndicate, who planned the great Lufthansa Heist. Burke found out that every month West Germany’s Commerzbank shipped to the U.S. crates of dollars exchanged for local currency by tourists and servicemembers. The supervisor of the cargo happened to be in debt for nearly $20,000, and first hatched the plot. Burke handpicked the men to carry it out.

On this day, December 11, in 1978, a group of armed men under the direction of Burke stormed the Lufthansa hangar, overpowering the guards and making off with close to $5 million in cash and $1 million in jewelry.

Burke should have done a better job of choosing his associates. Instead of covering tracks and laying low like instructed, they managed to implicate themselves at almost every turn. One, charged with destroying the getaway van, instead parked it in a tow-away zone near his girlfriend’s place, where he spent the night celebrating. Police quickly identified it, and the driver, who fled before he could be captured. Others made lavish purchases with their newly-acquired wealth. Burke, for his part, realizing quickly the ineptitude of the crew, ordered them all to be whacked.