Heist Club

In the days leading up to Christmas in 1990, the affluent town of Winnetka, Illinois suffers from a string of home invasion style robberies. Investigators believe that the break-ins are connected as they follow a similar M.O: the back or basement doors are forced open, the homes are ransacked, and the faucets are always left running. With more families going out of town for the holidays, police are on high alert to catch the criminals in the act. Until an unexpected hero comes along and saves the day.

Welcome to part 2 of the Goodfellas heist. Last week on Heist Club, we dove into the world of the New York mafia in the 1970s and met Jimmy Burke, a powerful mob associate with a penchant for thievery, and his Robert's Lounge Gang. The gang is now moments away from robbing the Lufthansa vault at JFK airport.

A little after 3 in the morning at JFK airport, the night crew for Lufthansa Airlines goes for their meal break. After they sit down, masked gunmen storm in, demanding everyone get down. A few minutes later more employees are brought in, except for one, who's taken to the cargo terminal to open the safe. When he returns, the armed assailants warn them not to call the police until 15 minutes after they leave. When time is up, they check the vault to see the damage. The $8 million cash haul is all gone. They just took part in the largest cash robbery in American history, and it all went down because an airport worker got in too deep on his gambling debts.

On an October night in Beverly Hills, two teenagers walk the hiking trails that connect the affluent neighborhoods. They hop a fence, and head to the end of a mansion-lined street, to a house with a pink Bentley parked out front. The duo walks up the driveway and right through the front door, almost like they live there. An hour later, they leave with luxury bags stuffed with clothes, cash, and a whole lot of new bling. It's their first of many home raids. Welcome to the case of The Bling Ring.

In the early morning hours at a McDonald's, the opening staff unlock the doors and prepare the fast food joint for the morning rush. However, as they count cash at the register, a masked gunman bursts through the bathroom door. The employees shoot their hands up, terrified of what he might do next. Instead of deranged shouting and gunfire, he politely asks them to grab their coats and head into the freezer. Once the freezer door shuts, he empties the register and flees in under a minute. Mickey D's just got hit by The Roofman.