'Goodfellas' Heist Nabs $1.5 Million in Apple iPads

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster."

That's the first line in Goodfellas, a movie that's being mentioned in the news as $1.5 million worth of Apple (AAPL) iPad minis were stolen from JFK airport. It's the largest heist since the audacious Lufthansa robbery at JFK in the 1970's, which is portrayed in the movie.

Two criminals illegally accessed a cargo building at John F. Kennedy airport, according to The NY Post.. The criminals actually had planned to take significantly more of the new tablets, but left the scene of the crime as an airport employee confronted the thugs.

The NY Post's sources seem to indicate that the crime was an inside job, with someone letting them into the building and letting them out following the caper.

More than 3,500 units of Apple's latest and greatest were inside the shipment, having just arrived from China. It's ironic that that the crime occurred inside the same cargo building as the 1978 Lufthansa heist. Led by Jimmy "the Gent" Burke, criminals stole more than $5 million in cash and approximately $900,000 in jewelry.

The fact that the iPads are individually numbered,though, could help track down the criminals.

I wonder whether they'll put too many onions in the sauce once they're behind bars.

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--Written by Chris Ciaccia in New York

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