Henry Hill - Gangsters and Goodfellas. The Mob, Witness Protection, and Life on the Run

Copyright 2004 by Henry Hill and Gus Russo
First paperback edition 2007

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The hardback edition of this book was previously cataloged by the Library of Congress as follows:

Hill, Henry, 1943

Gangsters and goodfellas : the mob, witness protection, and life on the run / Henry Hill as told to Gus Russo.

p. cm.

1. Hill, Henry, 1943 2. CriminalsUnited StatesBiography. 3. WitnessesProtectionUnited States. I. Russo, Gus. II. Title.

HV6248.H453A3 2004

364.1092dc22

2004001731

ISBN-13: 978-1-59077-129-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

To Kelly and Justin
For your love, patience, and tolerance.
Please forgive me.

Henry Hill would like to thank: Kelly and Justin; my ex-wife Karen and my daughter, Gina, and her special husband, Greg, and his family; Joe Hill; my sisters; Donald Brown, Bob Pick, Linda Murdock, Stephanie Pick, Mike Mycon, and Cheri DeShaw, for keeping me sober most of the time and for their patience in putting up with me; Bryon Schreckengost, Peter Doyle, and Priscilla Davis; Dawn and Shawn Waters and their three little girls; Darlene Zimel, Scott Murray, Asa, Dr. Canata, Craig Wells and family, Justin Smulison, Jeff Stone, Shannon and Rachel (my two special daughters); Todd Plesco, Boyd Grafmyre and Somer, Ken Bucci, Madeline and Commander Hue; Howard Stern, Robin, and the crew from the shows. All my friends in Washington State, Redmond, Lake Wenatchee, and Leavenworth; special thanks to Star Spankle Manor Big Red and all the fine help. Ed McDonald, Al McNeil, John Capp, Ed Guevara, judges Barker and Warner. The Cold Case Squad of the NYPD, Gus Russo and the excellent ways he has of interpreting the second half of this life so far.

Special thanks to my spiritual advisor, Rabbi Mark Borowitz, and his wife, Harriet, and all the special people in my life I failed to mentionyou know who you are.

Gus Russo would like to thank: Noah Lukeman, an indefatigable literary agent who just happens to be a great writing talent in his own right and a tireless protector of his clients interests. Likewise, my entertainment attorney, Jeffrey Silberman, has gone above and beyond to keep me from being eaten alive by the sharks of Hollywood. At M. Evans, P.J. Dempsey, Matt Harper, and the gang all made useful contributions and suggestions in a spirit of congeniality, encouragement, and mutual respect. Thanks also go to Ed Guevara, Kelly Hill, Nick Pileggi, and Sherry Anders, for taking time to share their memories with me. For me, 2003 was a busy year, and there is no doubt this book would never have been delivered on time without the help of Justin Smulison who, with great attention to detail, transcribed dozens of taped conversations between myself and Henry. Towson University should be proud. And especially, thanks go to Henry Hill, for his trust and friendship. Receiving the call from Henry was particularly meaningful since the film about his early years, GoodFellas, just happens to be my favorite mob movie. Getting to know the real Henry has been a great ride with never a dull moment.

SHERRY ANDERS

Henrys second wife.

BILL ARICO

Rockville Centre, Long Island, enforcer and international hitman. Bill bought guns from Henry, which he subsequently used to kill Italian bank liquidator Giorgio Ambrosoli during the aftermath of the Vatican Bank scandal.

RABBI MARK BOROVITZ

Coordinator and spiritual leader of Beit TShuvah, Rabbi Mark is a convict-turned-rabbi who helped Henry sober up.

JIMMY THE GENT BURKE

Henrys mentor growing up and the mastermind behind the Lufthansa Heist, in which $6 million was stolen. After Henry turned states evidence, Jimmy set his sights on killing him. Henrys testimony put Burke in prison for life; he died behind bars in April 1996 at the age of 64.

TOMMY TWO-GUN TOMMY DeSIMONE

Burkes protg and one-time Lucchese family hopeful. He was known for his temper, and his nickname came from the matched set of pearl-handled pistols he carried. Tommy was killed (presumably by John Gotti) for his part in the murder of wiseguy Billy Batts and a Gotti associate named Foxy.

JOHNNY DIO DIOGUARDI

Old school wiseguy who did time with Henry and Paulie, Sr., while in Lewisburg.

PARNELL STEVEN STACKS EDWARDS

A gofer and wannabe member of the Burke gang. Presumably killed by Burkes crew after leaving his fingerprints on the wheel of the getaway vehicle used for the Lufthansa Heist.

BOBBY GERMAINE

One of Henrys drug crew, Germaine was a stickup man whose son turned out to be a confidential informant for the FBI.

JOHN THE DAPPER DON/THE TEFLON DON GOTTI

One of the most famous mobsters of the 20th century, he was an up and coming Gambino wiseguy in the 60s and 70s. Gotti died while serving a life sentence on June 10, 2002.

ED GUEVARA

FBI agent who dealt with Henry during the early stages of turning states evidence. Ed is currently the head of the Federal Transportation Bureau in Florida.

KAREN FRIEDMAN HILL

Henrys first wife and mother of his children Gina and Greg. After a long separation, they officially divorced in 2002.

KELLY ALOR HILL

Henrys third and current wife, and the mother of his son Justin.

MARTY KRUGMAN

Owner of a wig shop next door to Henrys bar, The Suite. Marty helped plan the Lufthansa heist, but did not take part in the actual robbery. When his demands for his cut of the loot became too much for Jimmy Burke, he was whacked.

RICK KUHN

During the 197879 Boston College basketball season, Kuhn was willing to shave points for kickbacks. Henry testified against him in what was known as the Boston College Fix.

GAETANO TOMMY LUCCHESE

Namesake of Paulie Varios Mafia family, the Sicilian-born Lucchese started out as a bootlegging underboss in the 1920s, then graduated to full boss in 1953. From his headquarters in the Bronx, Lucchese oversaw a powerful, if low-key, operation that specialized in gambling, truck hijackings, and labor racketeering, and encompassed not just New York City, but much of Long Island. He died of brain cancer in 1967 (age unknown), but his organization continued to prosper for another decade under Vario.

AL MARSHAL AL MCNEIL

Kentucky Witness Protection Program Head Marshal Al McNeil, who was Henrys nemesis during his Kentucky stay

PAUL MAZZEI

Henrys dope connection in Lewisburg and, eventually, Pittsburgh. Henrys testimony helped get Mazzei seven years on drug charges.