The Lufthansa heist occurred on December 11, 1978, when a group of robbers stole approximately $5 million in cash and nearly $875,000 in jewelry from the Lufthansa cargo building at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The robbery was meticulously planned, involving inside information from a Lufthansa employee. The crime was part of a larger scheme linked to organized crime, particularly the Lucchese crime family. Although several suspects were arrested, many of the stolen funds were never recovered, and the case remains one of the largest cash thefts in U.S. history.