Organized Crime Figure. Hill was a former member of the Lucchese crime family turned FBI informant whose life story was documented in the book Wiseguy, which was later made into the 1990 Martin Scorsese film, 'Goodfellas'. In his early teens, he began running errands at a cabstand, shoe shine stand, and pizzeria. In 1956, he first met the most feared and notorious gangster, Jimmy Burke. In December 1978, they pulled off the Lufthansa heist at Kennedy airport in New York, which turned out to be the most expensive robbery in American history. Following the theft, Hill began wholesaling marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and quaaludes earning enormous amounts of money. On April 27, 1980, he was arrested on a narcotics-trafficking charge. Convinced that his former associates planned to have him killed, Hill agreed to become an informant with the United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Strike Force and testified against his former associates which led to 50 convictions. Following the trials, Hill, his wife Karen, and their two children entered the Witness Protection Program, changed their names, and moved to undisclosed locations.
Organized Crime Figure. Hill was a former member of the Lucchese crime family turned FBI informant whose life story was documented in the book Wiseguy, which was later made into the 1990 Martin Scorsese film, 'Goodfellas'. In his early teens, he began running errands at a cabstand, shoe shine stand, and pizzeria. In 1956, he first met the most feared and notorious gangster, Jimmy Burke. In December 1978, they pulled off the Lufthansa heist at Kennedy airport in New York, which turned out to be the most expensive robbery in American history. Following the theft, Hill began wholesaling marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and quaaludes earning enormous amounts of money. On April 27, 1980, he was arrested on a narcotics-trafficking charge. Convinced that his former associates planned to have him killed, Hill agreed to become an informant with the United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Strike Force and testified against his former associates which led to 50 convictions. Following the trials, Hill, his wife Karen, and their two children entered the Witness Protection Program, changed their names, and moved to undisclosed locations.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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