Police Dig at 'Goodfellas' Home: Possible Body In Jimmy Burke Home
Police have discovered bones in the former home of a New York City gangster who's character was immortalized by Robert DeNiro in the film, "Goodfellas."
Also known as Jimmy the Gent, Jimmy Burke was a gangster who ran the streets of New York City during the 1970's. He is credited with organizing the Lufthansa heist. The 1978 robber took place at the John F. Kenney airport; the robbers made out with over $5 million in cash and, at today's value, an estimated $3 million worth of gems, making it the largest robbery ever committed on American soil.
But on Monday, it was Burke's Queens home that police were interested in. The FBI confirmed the search of the home on Wednesday, stating that they had received a tip about a possible body buried in the basement according to the Mail Online.
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Following the robbery, Burke allegedly became paranoid about one of his accomplices coming forward to police and began to kill them off one by one. Recently, a person with connections to the Gambino and Bonanno crime families informed the FBI that one of the bodies of a mobster, who has been missing for over a decade, could be found in the basement of the home DNA.info reported. Neighbors confirmed that police had been in the area, carrying out a search.
"I just came down the block and there's a circus going on," Jim, 73, told DNA.info. The neighbor, who refused to give his last name, claims to have lived in the area for more than 40 years although he was not acquainted with Burke.
Martin Scorcese's 1990 film "Goodfellas" featured the Lufthansa heist as a key part of its plot. Burke's character was also featured in the movie, played by Robert DeNiro. Burke was eventually sent to prison for a different crime, where he died in 1996 at the age of 64 due to lung cancer.
