James Burke | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:JimmytheGent.jpg) Burke's 1979 mugshot | |
| Born | July 5, 1931 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1996 (aged 64) Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Saint Charles Cemetery, East Farmingdale, New York |
| Other names | "Jimmy the Gent," "The Big Irishman" |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Known for | Lufthansa heist |
| Spouse |
Mickey Burke (m. 1962) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Anthony Indelicato (son-in-law) |
| Allegiance | Lucchese crime family |
| Conviction(s) | Extortion (1972) Conspiracy (1982) Second degree murder (1985) |
| Criminal penalty | 10 years' imprisonment 12 years' imprisonment 20 years' imprisonment |
James Burke (July 5, 1931 – April 13, 1996), also known as "Jimmy the Gent", was an American gangster and Lucchese crime family associate who is believed to have organized the 1978 Lufthansa heist, the largest cash robbery in American history at the time. He was believed to be responsible for the deaths of those involved in the months after the robbery.[1]
Following the testimony of Henry Hill, Burke was convicted in 1982, of conspiracy charges related to his involvement in the 1978–79 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. While in prison, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to another 20 years. He died of cancer at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, eight years before he would have been eligible for parole.
Burke inspired the character Jimmy "The Gent" Conway, one of the main characters of the 1990 film Goodfellas, played by Robert De Niro.[2][3]
- ^ Maresca, Rachel; Caulfield, Philip (23 April 2015). "'Goodfellas' at 25: Here are 25 things you never knew about Martin Scorsese's mobster flick". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ Adams, Guy (14 June 2012). "Good night to a goodfella: the death of Henry Hill is the end of a Mafia story". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ Corson, Pete. "The Atlanta Federal Penitentiary's Hollywood connections Famous inmates at Atlanta Federal Penitentiary and the movie characters they inspired". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.