James Burke (gangster)

James 'Jimmy the Gent' Burke (July 5, 1931 New York City – April 13, 1996 Buffalo, New York), was an Irish-American gangster.[1] He was known for burying people he had murdered. In 2013 the FBI dug up the basement and garden of his old home searching for more human remains.[2] Burke died of cancer in prison in Buffalo.

Personal life

He is the father of small-time mobster Frankie Burke, Jesse James Burke, and Catherine Burke[3][2] Catherine married Anthony Indelicato, another criminal, in 1992.[4] Burke was nicknamed The Big Irishman or The Irish Guinea. Jimmy Conway, a character in the movie Goodfellas and played by Robert DeNiro is based on Burke.[5]

References

  1. ↑ NYTimes.com: James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke, Gangster, 64, of 'Wiseguy' Fame - NYTimes.com, accessdate: February 19, 2016
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Walker, Tim (20 June 2013). "FBI finds possible human remains at former home of late gangster James Burke - the man who inspired Goodfellas". The Independent. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Hobbs, Dick (29 April 1996). "Obituary: Jimmy Burke". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Human remains found in basement of house that belonged to real-life DeNiro character Jimmy Burke". Daily Mail. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Telegraph: Goodfella Henry Hill still living in hiding 20 years after film release - Telegraph, accessdate: February 19, 2016

Other websites