Founded by Lucchese crime family Years active 1950s-present | Founding location New York City Membership (est.) Unknown | |
Territory Various neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island Ethnicity Italian, Italian-American made men and Irish and other ethnicities as "associates" | ||
The Vario Crew is a group operating within the Lucchese crime family. It was controlled by capo Paul Vario from the early 1950s into the early 1980s, when Vario, Jimmy Burke and a number of other associates were imprisoned, primarily due to the testimony of another long-term associate, Henry Hill.
Contents
- Paul Varios power
- Henry Hills drug organization
- Roberts Lounge Crew
- Caporegimes
- Past members and associates of the crew
- Former headquarters and hangouts
- Government informants and witnesses
- In popular culture
- References
Hill's life in the Vario crew was the subject of the 1990 Martin Scorsese crime film Goodfellas, with Ray Liotta portraying Hill.
Today the crew is still active, but less influential than before and is currently led by Domenico Cutaia.
Paul Vario's power
Paul Vario received money from members of his crew and local criminals; Vario's crew was involved in hijacking cargo shipments from JFK Airport. His crew also ran several loansharking and bookmaking operations in Brooklyn.
James Burke was a close ally to Paul Vario. Burke ran a crew of hijackers that would pay off truck drivers and then unload the goods at a warehouse controlled by Paul Vario. Another ally to Vario was John Dioguardi, a Lucchese family capo who controlled unions in New York City. In the 1970s, when Paul Vario and Jimmy Burke were imprisoned, a majority of Vario's bookmaking operation were taken over by his Russian Jewish associate Martin Krugman.
Henry Hill's drug organization
Two of Vario's crew members, Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke, began dealing in heroin, cocaine, marijuana and amphetamines. Hill ran his criminal enterprise with his wife Karen, William Arico, Anthony Perla, Rocco Perla, Robin Cooperman and Judith Wicks. In early 1979, Burke and Hill began selling heroin.
After Robert "Bobby" Germaine Jr., the son of Henry Hill's drug partner, became an informant, Hill was monitored. In 1980, Hill was arrested for drug dealing and looking at several life-sentences. Instead he became an informant. Henry Hill's testimony led to 50 convictions. In 1980, on orders from James Burke, Angelo Sepe shot and killed Bobby Germaine Jr. in Kew Gardens, Queens. Jimmy Burke was given 20 years for fixing sporting events and a life sentence when the authorities convicted him for murdering scam-artist Richard Eaton. Paul Vario was given a 12½-year sentence during the KENRAC trial.
Robert's Lounge Crew
The Robert's Lounge Crew was a semi-independent group of criminals working under the Vario Crew led by Jimmy Burke based in his bar, Robert's Lounge. They were active from 1957 to 1979. The Robert's Lounge crew consisted of a number of members, some described as inept, and whose specialties included hijacking, armed robbery and murder. Although an independent outfit, they were closely associated with the Lucchese Family through which Burke had a longtime friendship and working relationship with Paul Vario.
Caporegimes
Past members and associates of the crew
List of past members and associates who are retired, deceased or have been murdered.
Former headquarters and hangouts
The crew operates throughout the New York City metropolitan area, these are some of the former headquarters and hangouts.