| Date | December 11, 1978 |
|---|---|
| Time | 3:00 to 4:30 a.m. (EST, UTC−5) |
| Venue | Lufthansa cargo building 261 John F. Kennedy International Airport |
| Location | New York, New York, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°39′43″N 73°47′13″W / 40.662°N 73.787°W |
| Outcome | $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry stolen |
| Accused |
|
| Verdict | Louis Werner convicted Vincent Asaro acquitted |
| Convictions | 1 |
The Lufthansa heist was a robbery which took place at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 11, 1978. An estimated US$5.875 million (equivalent to US$28.32 million in 2024) was stolen, with $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry, making it the largest cash robbery committed on American soil at the time.[1][2]
James Burke, an associate of the Lucchese crime family of New York, was reputed to be the mastermind of the robbery, 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 robbery, both to avoid being implicated in the heist and to keep their shares of the money for himself.[3] The only person convicted in the Lufthansa heist was Louis Werner, an airport worker involved with the planning.[3]
The money and jewellery 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.