Henry Hill is a famous American gangster who worked closely with the Lucchese family. He participated in the largest robberies that occurred in the United States of America. Following the completion of the criminal activity, Henry Hill collaborated with the FBI and provided them with information about the Lucchese family. With her, he cut off all ties. Henry Hill, the film about which was released in 1990, was also described in the book "Clever Man." This man was able to deploy the largest drug dealer network in the United States.
Birth and family
Hill was born on June 11, 1943. His birthplace was New York, Brooklyn. Henry Hill Sr., the father of the boy, was Irish by nationality. I had to work as an electrician. Mother was from Sicily. The father was short-tempered and often beat his son.
In addition to Henry, the family had seven more children. They had to live in a small house. Often the family was faced with a shortage of money. The result was that Henry Hill Jr., at a fairly young age, was already connected with crime. As a boy, he admired the local gangsters who lived across the street from his house.
First crimes
Henry Hill, a documentary about which details the life of a gangster, loved to come and talk with criminals. Oddly enough, the first job that Henry got was provided to him by Paul Vario, who owned a local parking lot and was a member of the Lucchese family. He had to carry out various simple tasks. It was during this lesson that Henry Hill spent most of his time.
The beginning gangster left school already in 1955. Now he spent almost the whole day with the Lucchese family. Some unknown force drew him here. Moreover, in his own family he had no one to communicate with, and the criminals treated him better than his parents. The father, at the slightest occasion, arranged a thrashing for his son.
Hill Prospects
Henry Hill, whose biography is filled with interesting points, could not reach special heights in the world of crime. This was clear to him and to all the familiar gangsters. The fact is that Henry was half Irish, and almost every legendary mafioso was Italian. Nevertheless, according to the laws of the criminal world, the gang could accept him into the family, but he could not take high places in it. Henry Hill was to play only a secondary role. He himself was ready for a similar job.
Army
In the summer of 60, Henry Hill, whose photo can be seen not so often, left for the army. It is worth noting that he did not particularly want to serve, but in his hometown the FBI actively began to hunt him. Therefore, Hill decided to take cover for a while, paying off his debt to his homeland. Here he could feel safe and was not afraid that they would find him. He left the army in 1963 and went to New York.
Big business
Soon enough, Henry Hill made new friends. "Nice guys", which tells about Hill, just the same and tells about this period of the life of the gangster. The bandits with whom Henry began to cooperate were quite authoritative. Various rumors often circulated about them, which claimed that they were very dangerous and cruel. One of them was named Jimmy Burke, the second - Tommy Desimone. The first was mentally unstable and especially dangerous.
Together they began to carry out major criminal cases in which several more people helped them. They were engaged in the creation of double-entry bookkeeping, the sale of stolen goods, and so on. Jimmy Burke, in addition to cruelty, was also distinguished by his ability to steal cars. The interesting thing is that during the hijacking he gave the victim fifty dollars. For such actions he was often called Jimmy Gentleman.
Marriage
In the mid-sixties, Henry Hill met a girl Karen Friedman, who was Jewish. They soon got married. Two children were born in the marriage: daughter Gene and son Gregg. Children did not love their father, as Henry himself claimed. Gregg always spoke out negatively about his father's actions. The daughter was kinder, but still subsequently changed her mind.
Children studied at the most ordinary school, where they often had to explain the behavior of their father. Henry often had conflicts with his wife, but they stayed together for a fairly long period of time, given what kind of business Hill did. At the same time, as Gregg Hill said, his father was a traitor.
Famous robbery
In 1967, along with accomplices, Henry Hill committed the famous robbery of John F. Kennedy Airport. Gangsters managed to make about five hundred thousand dollars. In the underworld, Hill's authority has skyrocketed. Now he was not just a minor character in the mafia circle.
Henry continued to work with Burke. Soon they went to Florida, where they were to collect the debt. However, the victim did not want to part with the money and was severely beaten. The police became interested in this incident, which soon detained Hill. The court sentenced ten years in prison, but Henry served only four years. In prison, he continued to engage in criminal affairs. Spent a lot of time communicating with mafiosi, and also sold drugs. He managed to get out in 1978. The release was assisted by Paul Vario.
Cases After Release
After his release from prison, Henry Hill continued to engage in criminal activities. He began working at a nightclub run by Paul Vario. Soon, Henry went to Pittsburgh, which violated the conditions of parole. Here he was supposed to collect the debt, but instead of the money he received two suitcases of marijuana. He began to sell drugs on the bus, in which he was returning home.
With these actions, Hill violated not only the law of the country, but also one of the main rules of the family, which says about the prohibition of the sale of drugs by its members. Nevertheless, Henry has developed a huge network distributing various illicit substances in several states.
Second robbery of an international airport and arrest
One of the key moments in Hill's life was the second robbery of John F. Kennedy Airport. It happened in December 1978. Six or seven people broke into the airline department and left it with five million dollars. Henry Hill was involved in planning the operation. Soon, some participants in the crime were found dead, while others disappeared without a trace.
In the spring of 1980, during a drug operation, Henry Hill was arrested. However, his conclusion did not last long. Soon he made a bail and was released. Hill suspected that his accomplices might kill him because of violations of family laws. As a result, he decided on extreme measures - cooperation with the FBI. For the delivery of accomplices, the Henry family received protection, as well as housing.
The result of Hill's testimony was the life sentence of Burke, who died in prison. Such a severe punishment ensued after the police found out that he had committed a brutal murder. Paul Vario, who was given only four years, was also arrested. The state of Washington has become the new residence of the Hill family .
Future life
In the fall of 1981, Henry Hill met the famous criminal writer Nicholas Pileggi, who soon created a book about the life of a gangster. After almost ten years, a film shot based on the work of Pileggi appeared on the screens of movie theaters. Henry's future life was not very different from the past. He still traded drugs, dealt with fraud, and eventually lost all his fortune. His wife left Hill in the late 80s after twenty-five years of marriage.
For multiple legal problems, Hill was expelled from the witness protection program. Often, Henry received treatment for alcohol and drug addiction. However, he could not completely end the addictions.
last years of life
The last years of Hill's life took place in California. Here he was engaged in drawing, and sold works. For several years he worked as a chef in a restaurant. Hill died on June 12, 2012. The gangster was just sixty-nine years old. According to some information, Henry had a serious illness, which he fought hard, but in the last year, the forces began to leave the former mafiosi. The official cause of death was heart problems.
He spent the last years with a young girl named Lisa Caserta. About Henry Hill, a number of documentaries were shot that tell about the difficult fate of a gangster. However, the feature film "Goodfellas" has become one of the cult in the history of crime films. Actor Ray Liotta, who played the role of Hill in the film, very hard suffered the news of the death of the mafia. He met several times with a gangster who talked about his complex life.