The racketeering trial against Bonanno crime family captain Vincent Asaro which includes his alleged role in the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist and murder charges begins today. The 80 year old mobster has a long history in the New York mafia which includes previous convictions on lesser mafia related crimes. Prosecutors claim that Asaro successfully hid his role in the heist which was immortalized in the movie “Goodfellas” for years while others involved either went to prison or passed away. He was arrested last year after his own cousin decided to turn rat and supplied the feds with new information about Asaro’s mob crimes, including his part in the Lufthansa heist at Kennedy Airport.
“Vincent Asaro“
It’s unknown exactly why Gaspare Valenti decided to turn rat, but he not only supplied the feds with information, but also agreed to wear a wire to coax more damning information from members of the Bonanno family. One theory is that Valenti has long held a grudge against Asaro after being shorted out of a cut from the $750,000 dollars Asaro was believed to have collected for his role in the robbery. A Bonanno family associate Valenti has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and will take the witness stand against Asaro and testify to his cousin’s role in the robbery and murder of suspected mob rat Paul Katz in 1969.
The robbery was orchestrated by Lucchese crime family associate James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke with the blessing of Asaro who’s Bonanno crime family considered the Kennedy airport as part of their turf. In a recording made by Valenti while wearing a wire Asaro was captured saying “We never got our right money, what we were supposed to get. … Jimmy kept everything.” According to court papers, many of the robbery conspirators failed to receive their share of the loot either because they were killed or was never handed over by Burke. As portrayed in the movie “Goodfellas” after the approx $6 million dollar Lufthansa haul Burke had many of the conspirators killed according to mob snitch Henry Hill.
Prosecutors claim that Asaro did in fact collect his share of the loot, but blew a vast majority of it at the racetrack suffering from a gambling problem. Also set to testify along with Valenti is former Bonanno family boss Joseph Massino the highest ranking mafia member to ever become a government informant. According to Massino he received a case filled with gold and jewelry from the robbery as tribute from Asaro since he was Asaro’s boss in the Bonanno family crew. Asaro would go on to rise in the ranks of the NY mafia to captain of his own crew before being bumped back down to the soldier in the 1990’s due to unpaid mob loans from his gambling addiction.
Asaro at one point found himself as a soldier in a crew led by his own son Jerome “Jerry” Asaro and was captured on tape saying “Jerry’s for Jerry,” “I lost my son. I lost my son when I made him a skipper. I lost my son when I put him there.” Jerome was arrested along with his father last year on racketeering charges, but has already plead guilty to his role in the exhumation of Katz remains in the 80’s and arson. The younger Asaro is now serving a 7.5 year prison sentence for his crimes. By 2013 Vincent was back in the good graces of the Bonanno family and found himself promoted back to capo after a string of arrest of then high profile Bonanno members.
Before his arrest last year it was believed Asaro had at one point become a member of an administration panel which ran the Bonanno crime family. By this time the feds were already closing in on him as information was beginning to come in about the robbery and his other mafia crimes. If convicted the elder mobster could spend the rest of his life behind bars and become another in a long line of mafia casualties as Omerta the mob’s code of silence continues to dissolve.
Not sure how long this trial will last but i don’t think it will take the jury all that long to come back with a guilty verdict considering the evidence stacked up against Asaro including recordings out of his own mouth.
administration member? he was NEVER an administration member he was a capo thats it was the press who came out with that a drunk degenerate he is
there he is crying about his son thats bullshit what he said on tape aswell everyone knows its because he is jealous that his son got made capo before him and it was NOT vinny who put him that it was the administration his kid is now even in his crew vinny got everyone sentences a degenerate
tommy let vinny back in because of the queens connection but that was a dumb idea vinny was a joke and he hated tommy f even said it on tape vinny is a loser watch he will spend the rest of his life in the can
his kid will reach the heights not like vinny ever did everyone likes jerry he is smart and not a loudmouth like his father i mean why he was talking about something which happened 40 years ago the guy is dumb always has been
jack b hates vinny now as do tommy if vinny was on the streets there could be trouble they both got time in the can because of
Listen you mutt, The only loudmouth is you. It’s obvious that you have a personal problem with Vinny and obviously had no balls to handle it, So badmouthing a guy who is not here to defend himself makes you fell like a man?, Only a coward, washwoman like yourself would resort to hiding behind a computer and attacking someone in a very personal way.The fact that he is locked in a cell, apparently has given you an unrealistic, overly confident,ridiculous, false sense of security, You’re obviously trying to convince yourself that Vinny hasn’t a friend in the world, is completely vulnerable, and has become prey to even a spineless predator like yourself. You have gone from being a person who posts harmlessly on a message board, to a viscous opportunist, who has crossed way over the line to put it mildly. Obviously you think attacking an 80year old Man in the most despicable way, then pretending to be something or someone you’re not is ok? Well it’s not ok! You”ve taken this charade far enough my man. Wisen up!!!
i think you have a bit of an obsession with this guy which i dont understand when he is a killer gangster and scum bag infact all of them are you should NOT be praising them you should be doing the opposite these people are the reason Italian amercians have such a bad name you wisen up i would not help alot of these guys if they were falling of the cliff there scum
probelm with vinny ?
no i do not i am saying the truth he has never done anything to me
“attacking someone in a personal way”
he is the gangster and scum bag i dont think he deserves my praise but i dont need to come on here if i want to talk rubbish about vinny i know plenty of people who would happily talk about him with not that i ever do because to be honest i dont really care
“trying to convide your self he has no friends”
When did i say that
“compleltly vulnerable”
his own fault he is a gangster killer scumbag
No personal attacks allowed here , his comment was deleted. Sorry for the delay TheMafia and thanks as always for the contributions.