Was Jimmy Conway Based on a Real Person? Jimmy Burke, Explained
Mobsters DailyYes — Jimmy Conway is Jimmy Burke, the Lucchese crime family associate played by Robert De Niro: the charming, terrifying "Jimmy the Gent" who masterminded the 1978 Lufthansa heist at JFK — then, terrified of links back to himself, presided over the quiet murder of nearly everyone who had pulled it off.
The real Jimmy the Gent
Burke, an Irish-American who could never be made, built his power on hijacking and fear — the same un-made outsider economics as the crew in Casino's true story. Lufthansa netted nearly $6 million in cash and jewels, still one of the great American heists, and Burke's cut bought him a decade of looking over his shoulder, like the men in Donnie Brasco's true story.
What the film softened
Goodfellas hints at the post-heist body count; the reality was grimmer and longer. Burke was never convicted of Lufthansa itself — he died in prison in 1996 on a separate murder conviction, taking the money's location with him.
Jimmy handed out hundred-dollar tips and terror in equal measure. Tip your rewatch crew better — the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater all around.
Frequently asked questions
Was Jimmy Burke ever in the Mafia? He was a Lucchese associate — Irish-born, so never a made man, like Henry Hill.
Did Burke really mastermind Lufthansa? He is universally credited with planning it, though never convicted of the heist.
When did Jimmy Burke die? In prison in 1996, serving time for an unrelated murder conviction.
Keep reading: Did Bugsy Siegel Build the Flamingo? · Who Was Lefty Ruggiero?
From the shop: Get Your Shinebox Mob Quote Tee — Billy Batts' last words, immortalized.
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