The Real Story Behind Goodfellas: Henry Hill and the Lucchese Crime Family
Goodfellas is based on a true story. The events depicted — the Lufthansa heist, the murder of Billy Batts, the cocaine operation, the eventual FBI cooperation — all happened. The real people behind the characters were associates and members of the Lucchese crime family operating out of Queens and the New York metropolitan area from the 1950s through the 1980s. Here is what was real, what was changed, and what the film doesn't tell you.
Henry Hill: The Real Man
Henry Hill was born in 1943 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was Irish-American; his mother was Sicilian. He began working for Paul Vario — the model for Paulie Cicero — as a teenager, running errands and parking cars at Vario's taxi stand in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was never a made member of the Lucchese family (Italian-American heritage on both sides was required for formal membership), but he operated as a trusted associate for over two decades.
Hill was arrested multiple times over his career, but the cocaine distribution operation of the late 1970s — which Vario had explicitly forbidden — created the vulnerability that the FBI exploited. When Hill was arrested in 1980 on drug charges, he faced substantial prison time and, crucially, had burned his bridges with Vario and the Lucchese organization by dealing drugs against explicit orders. He entered the Witness Protection Program in 1980 and testified against Vario and Burke.
Hill lived the rest of his life in and out of the Witness Protection Program — he was removed multiple times for continuing to commit crimes and attract attention — and died in 2012 of heart disease in Los Angeles. He was 69.
Jimmy Burke: The Real Jimmy Conway
James Burke — the model for Robert De Niro's Jimmy Conway — was one of the most prolific thieves and killers associated with the Lucchese family. He was not Italian-American and was therefore also an associate rather than a made member, but he ran the crew that operated out of Vario's organization with near-total autonomy.
Burke planned and executed the Lufthansa heist at JFK Airport in December 1978 — at the time the largest cash robbery in American history, netting approximately $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry. The subsequent murder of most of the participants — depicted in the film — is documented in Nicholas Pileggi's research. Burke was convicted in 1985 of murder (the 1979 killing of Richard Eaton, not directly connected to Lufthansa) and died in prison in 1996 of lung cancer.
Tommy DeSimone: The Real Tommy DeVito
Thomas DeSimone was, by accounts of those who knew him, genuinely as volatile and dangerous as Joe Pesci's portrayal suggests — possibly more so. He was suspected of numerous murders over his career, including the killing of William Bentvena (Billy Batts in the film), a made Gambino soldier whose death required significant political management within the families.
DeSimone disappeared in January 1979, believed to have been killed by the Gambino family as retribution for the Bentvena murder. He was reportedly told he was about to be formally inducted into the Lucchese family — the scenario depicted at the end of the film — when he was killed instead. He was 28 years old. Joe Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for portraying him.
The Lufthansa Heist: What Actually Happened
On December 11, 1978, a crew associated with Burke robbed the Lufthansa cargo terminal at JFK Airport of approximately $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry — the largest cash robbery in American history at the time. The robbery was planned using inside information from a Lufthansa employee. It took approximately 64 minutes. The FBI's subsequent investigation recovered essentially nothing; Burke had moved the money quickly and began eliminating the participants who posed liability risks.
The film depicts Burke's systematic elimination of the heist participants with reasonable accuracy. Most of the principals were murdered within months of the robbery. The FBI knew Burke had orchestrated it but lacked the evidence for a prosecution until Hill became a cooperating witness.
How Accurate Is the Film?
Goodfellas is considered one of the most accurate mob films ever made. Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy, from which the screenplay was adapted, was based on hundreds of hours of interviews with Hill conducted while Hill was in the Witness Protection Program. The composite characters, compressed timeline, and changed names are the primary departures from the factual record. The essential events — the Lufthansa heist, the murder of Billy Batts, the drug operation, the FBI cooperation — happened as depicted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Goodfellas a true story?
Yes. Goodfellas is based on the real life of Henry Hill, a Lucchese crime family associate who became an FBI informant in 1980. The events, characters, and timeline are based on Nicholas Pileggi's nonfiction book Wiseguy, adapted into the film with changed names and some compression of the timeline.
What happened to the real Henry Hill?
Henry Hill entered the Witness Protection Program in 1980, was removed multiple times for continuing to attract attention and commit crimes, and spent the rest of his life in Los Angeles. He died of heart disease in June 2012 at age 69.
Was the Lufthansa heist ever solved?
The FBI identified Jimmy Burke as the architect of the Lufthansa heist and the subsequent murders of participants. Burke was never prosecuted specifically for the heist — Henry Hill's testimony was used to convict him of a separate murder in 1985. Burke died in prison in 1996 without the heist prosecution having been completed.