Seven weeks after that fateful night in the Mexican restaurant, Hill/Marty just came out with it. Source: ABC News "It was like another country," Henry later said. She was notorious mobster Henry Hill's girlfriend - the dude from Goodfellas who passed away at age 69 yesterday. They knew Hill was going to go to a dance club, so Sherry and Karen walked in arm and arm. Henry Hill, Jr. (June 11, 1943 - June 12, 2012) was a New York City mobster. He was eventually removed from the general inmate population. Isnt that special?'. For as much as Dad might have irritated my grandma, she wasnt one to throw her daughter into the street. So he grew up to be a gangster. He had a hard enough time obeying the law, let alone my grandma. Her instincts proved spot on when one day an unfamiliar woman walked in to the hair salon. Henry Hill died in 2012, but Karen is alive and well, according to her husband's former manager, says ABC News. Hills last major job with his gang was the Lufthansa heist at John F Kennedy airport in New York in December 1978, which netted them a then-record $5.875 million. The mobster, who died at the age of 69 in 2012, assumed varying cover stories during his time in witness protection. All the while, Anders was blissfully unaware that her new husband was leading a double life and had another wife and two children of his own at home. This time, the family was placed in Redmond, Washington, and right off the bat, Hill spoke to an acquaintance in Kentucky asking him to ship one of the horses he had bought for his daughter to him, the one named Banana Split. But the heist turned up the heat on all the guys connected with it. When they said their goodbyes, he kissed her hand and said, Ill love you forever.. 00:44 GMT 27 May 2022. He was arrested on a number of occasions in the years leading up to his death for public drunkenness. Karen seems to relish the brand-new Buick Riveras in the driveway and closets which were always bursting with trending expensive clothes. Sherry refused to sign them. Gina Hill. The electricity during those months was just absolutely volatile, just screaming. Raised a Mormon in rural Washington, the single mom was nave, if anything. Hill even managed to swindle the governor of the state he was hiding in: John Y. We lived on the third floor, overlooking the pool, and I shared a bedroom with my brother. Im not sure exactly what my mother told me hed been convicted of, but I know it wasnt the truth. Sherry threw all my clothes out of her second-story bedroom window right into a pile of snow. Hes MY husband, Sherry told her. One day, Sherrys nephew, a toddler, pulled her handgun out from her purse, nearly giving her sister a heart attack. Hill later married Kelly Alor from 1990 to 1996 and then later got engaged to Lisa Caserta from 2006 up until his death in 2012. Those bastards. She made it sound like the government was picking on him over something petty. Lorraine Bracco performed so stunningly as Karen Hill in the movie that she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. http://www.amazon.com/Mobsters-Gangs-Crooks-Creeps-ebook/dp/B006H99D1U/ref=zg_bs_11010_5, I never thought that I could enjoy a book about mob rat Henry Hill, but this one written by his son, Gregg, and his daughter, Gina, kept my interest and gave me a vivid account of two poor kids on the run.. Hill is a design-build firm offering full multi-discipline design, construction and construction administrative services based in Jacksonville, Florida. Janet meant real trouble for her family. The details of my fathers line of work were sketchy to me when I was eight. While Tony wasnt a member of any crime family, he refused to turn states evidence on any of his friends and associates, even when staring jail time square in the face. - The Mob: The Addict Who Took Down the Mafia (2021) . Goodfellas, which is seen by many as the movie that shot Liotta to stardom, ends with Hill being taken into witness protection, a seemingly perfect Hollywood ending. With Janets help, Sherry sued Hill for compensation of the money he siphoned off from her when they were married. Although he was convicted on drug charges stemming from his 1987 arrest, the FBI and prosecutors pleaded with the court to release him. Associated Press. Then the prison would rise up through the windshield, climbing above the trees like a fortress in the woods. That was my mom, trying to make something very big sound very small. Believing that he had slept with Sherry the night before, she went to find her next. In the film, Karen Hill was portrayed as a woman with a sense of rationalizing everything her husband Henry had done. But Hill was still letting himself into Sherrys house at odd hours, one time writing I love you, Sherry Amour, HH on the bathroom mirror in lipstick. But then federal prosecutors indicted them for extortion, which they could do because my father had crossed state lines. See Photos. Sherry was in the shower, and just like the scene from Psycho, the curtains were viciously pulled back. Karen got officially separated from Henry in 1989, and she filed for divorce in 1990, which got finalized in the year 2002. Sherry, who was paranoid about the whole situation, started sleeping with a gun under her pillow just as Hill had when he first entered Witness Protection. Their divorce was finalized in 2002. My head hurt so bad I didnt care how I looked to anyone driving by. Therefore, exact details about them are still unavailable. But she had her own anger to unleash. Stealing was second nature to my father. Sherry, unwittingly a target, was Janets path to Hill. Finally, through a religious loophole Karen was able to get the marriage annulled. Dad had a union card, and the bricklayers supposedly paid him $135 a week, but he didnt even pretend to work a normal job. Watch a rare interview with one of the most famous wiseguys of all time Henry Hill, of "Goodfellas" fame. Gregg and Gina talk about life in witness protection and their book, On the Run: A Mafia Childhood. Hill's arrest in 1980 by Nassau County narcotics officers officially marked the end of his life in the Lucchese family. Sherry needed to keep her son safe. By then, he and Karen had divorced, and he was now married to a woman named Kelly in California. But I wasnt in a laughing mood. We were living in the Fairview, a luxury high-rise right across the highway from Flushing Meadows, in Queens. And if he wasnt in jail, it wasnt unusual for him to go out one night and come back three mornings later. Theyd get a tip from one of the guys on the loading docks at Kennedy Airport whenever a good load was going out, and theyd follow the driver until he stopped at a red light. Vivian had always been protective of Sherry, who had a knack for choosing the wrong men. His name was John Ciaccio, and he owed a gambling debt to a friend of my father, a guy who ran one of the unions at Kennedy Airport. One day shes a dental assistant from a middle-class family on Long Island, and the next shes sipping from a bottle of champagne that Sammy Davis Jr. sent to Dads table at the Copa. Hed been locked up a few times since Id been born, once for seventeen months; my mom took me to visit him in the Nassau County jail when I was about four. In recent times however he ventured out in public more opening a restaurant called Wiseguys, launching his own brand of spaghetti sauce and appearing on US TV talking about gangster movies. Hill went so far as to threaten Sherry with her life if she didnt sign the divorce papers. Dont worry about it, one of them told Gram. But while their attraction to one another may well have been authentic, it was one of the only aspects of their fiery romance that was. When my parents first got married, in 1965, they lived with my grandparents, my moms parents, in Valley Stream, on Long Island. Visiting hours began at eight oclock in the morning, so wed either leave late the night before, around ten oclock, or early in the morning, at about three. I had a much different childhood than most children, for starters, I and my brother grew up in the Witness Protection Program; however, this blog is about my father, not us. For the third time in a year and a half, the Hills were moved again. Wed tell people we were Girl Scouts and ask for cookies. That gangster, shed say, only shed spit out the words. Karen today continues to use an alias to protect her identity, as do her two children, Gregg and Gina. Henry Hill's business partner, Jimmy Burke has whacked every person who could possibly implicate him in the infamous Lufthansa robbery at JFK airport. Lets get married today, he told her. Hill had already beenarrested for getting into a fight with a presumed mistress when they were hidden inIndependence, Kentucky. Anders said: 'Heres wife Number One and wife Number Two. Just like with the witness program, Hill assumed hed get away with it. The man was flirting with disaster. His greatest success, the heist that made him a minor legend in the New York underworld, was burglarizing an Air France strong room at Kennedy Airport in 1967 and walking out with $480,000. And she did it with style, too, riding her horses in heels and white clothes. And so, she pulled Hill by the collar and dragged him to Sherrys house with papers in hand. He still wore his expensive suits and shiny loafers, but he had nowhere to go except to the store for milk. She was crying just a little. Between 1955 and 1980, Hill was associated with the Lucchese crime family. He was always on the phone, walking around the house, dragging the long spiral cord behind him. How could she have been so blind? The script for the film was based on the book Wise guy written by Nicholas Pileggi. She once told me a story about how, after theyd been dating for a couple of months, this boy from her neighborhood, Ted, someone shed known her whole life, took her for a ride in his Corvette one afternoon and made a pass at her. Still, there were those close to Anders who voiced their doubts about her sudden infatuation with Hill, with salon owner Vivian Walsh, who owned the space where Anders rented a chair, warning that there was 'something kind of creepy about him'. But I definitely remember the Fairview. Twice Karen is said to have attacked Anders, who told Pearl and Nichols: 'I was never so scared in my life.'. It began to snow and soon enough, all of his stuff was buried under the white. In the fall of 1981, Hill walked into El Toreador, his favorite spot where he found both of his vices in one package. Gina also got married and started her own family. His notorious smile kept the girls from asking any further questions. I had a friend in the building, and wed go roaming around the hallways, knocking on doors. Self - Henry Hill's Daughter. She was leading an ordinary life at that time and was working at a New York dental office. I wanted to visit my dad right away. The real-life mafia turncoat who was immortalized by late actor Ray Liotta in his breakout role in Goodfellas was a bigamist who repeatedly cheated on his wife while in witness protection, before leaving her and their children to wed a Mormon hairdresser he had known for just seven weeks. He said he felt closer to God now. Reprinted by permission of Warner Books. They patted me on the back, they took me in, they gave me money. Im not making excuses for him, only trying to explain it the way he explained it to me. The sun had just gone down, and the kitchen was dark. Henry Hill Jr. (June 11, 1943 - June 12, 2012) was an American mobster who was associated with the Lucchese crime family of New York City from 1955 until 1980, when he was arrested on narcotics charges and became an FBI informant.Hill testified against his former Mafia associates, resulting in 50 convictions, including those of caporegime (captain) Paul Vario and fellow associate James Burke . ', And when Hill turned up later he found his two wives in the home he shared with Karen. That was my dads greatest asset, his charm. Tony also probes Hill on the ultimate, moral penalty of terrorizing another human being, beyond the consequences of the law. I could never understand why my mother always brought so much with her. Once a migraine started, I was done for the day. Of course, not. She hugged me and then left me alone. In the book, Gregg and Gina discuss how their maternal grandparents, and Karen's two younger sisters, Cheryl and Ellen, helped take care of them, when Karen and Henry were out dealing in crime.Henry died in 2012. The funny thing is he never even showed up to court. When Sherry said no, she got violent again. They wanted more information and his testimony. Years later, she admitted, It was so devastating I wanted to kill myself, to be quite honest. Slowly but surely, she moved on and started doing hair and makeup for movies and TV shows. Fortunately for her, it's tricky to find out exactly what she's up to these days. Before he could properly get kicked out of Sherrys house, he passed out. In fact, in his 2004 bookGangsters and Goodfellas: The Mob, Witness Protection, and Life on the Run, Hill recounted a conversation he had with a friend about his second marriage - in which he insisted that it didn't count as 'bigamy' because he had tied the knot, not as Henry Hill, but as Martin Lewis. They eloped not long after my dad beat up Ted, and moved in with my grandparents. Few areas of American culture have been more falsely glamorized than the mafia. People named Gina Hill. The driver looked a few years older than her, weathered but attractive. Copyright 2004 by Gregg Hill and Gina Hill. We are the children of one of the most notorious mobsters turned FBI informants, Henry Hill. Hill had to borrow money from her in between his installments from the publisher. Like a moth to a flame, Hill found his way to make money. There were twenty-two hundred men inside, some of the worst criminals in the federal system. As for Sherry, she went back to the Hill home to take back the horse she had sent for Hills daughter. According to Gina and Gregg, Hill spent his days at the racetrack gambling and his nights drinking. There was a reported two-million-dollar contract on his head and word was getting out that Hill was living in the Midwest. He married his then-girlfriend Dawn, who was a degenerate junkie like Hill. Not much later, Karen returned to the house to scream at Sherry and demand that she sign the papers. I am a Teacher who started creating online content for my students from 2016 so that they can get access to free knowledge online. He stole, fenced, bootlegged, loan-sharked, and extorted. Frankly, On the Run could have been entitled Daddy Dearest. He married his then-girlfriend Dawn, who was a degenerate junkie like Hill. Soon enough, Sherry received a phone call. He was back off the wagon drinking, drugging risking his cover while his family did everything they could to lay low. His thriving business made the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer he was seen in a photo with a perm and a fake mustache, clearly trying to escape the photographers frame. Their dad was Henry Hill - immortalised in the book Wiseguy and the Martin Scorsese film. Usually, though, we were in our beat-up Oldsmobile Toronado, the car we got after my father accidentally dropped a lit cigarette in the front seat of our 1969 Chrysler Newport, causing it to go up in flames. Henry Rafferty, 22, from Hartlepool, Cleveland, died after he was struck by a car while sleeping on the driveway of a house in the town following a night out with friends. I began this blog to simply tell part of my father's story through my eyes. He wrote about the heist in a detailed form and from his point of view. First things first: she had to get her husbands marriage to Sherry dissolved. But under witness protection, everything changed. Charlie Lankston For Dailymail.com Announcing his death, Hills girlfriend Lisa Casserta said he struggled with alcoholism. Some of the other thefts were easier: Theyd just walk into a garage and steal the truck, or theyd buy off the driver so hed leave his keys in the cab when he stopped for coffee. They had a son named Justin, but in 1997, Hill and Dawn, now living in California, became totally out of control with their drug use. His first arrest came when he was 16 years old and he carried out the Lufthansa raid after serving a six-year prison sentence in the Seventies. I think sometimes my grandparents liked my dad in spite of themselves. Sherry accepted his apology. See Photos. He had a few cover stories under his belt, about how he worked for the government (not so far from the truth). She lost the suit and the judge even ordered her to pay Hills legal fees. He was arrested again in July of that same year forpassing bad checks. Of particular interest to Janet, was Sherrys recent marriage to Martin. Sherry was all smiles and all ears. Hill, who died in LA in 2012, was taken into witness protection with his wife Karen and their two children, Gina and Gregg, in 1980, after helping the FBI to arrest several of his fellow gangsters. 'But I moved in with her for a short period of time; it didn't last long because I kept going home to Karen and the kids. Henry Hill, an associate in the . The guys at the cabstand, they didnt smack me. The testimony led to 50 convictions and meant that Hill, his wife Karen, and their two children had to be put in the US Marshals Witness Protection Program in 1980. In 1980 Hill left the life, entered the witness protection program and testified against the mob. He told others that he was an insurance investigator for arson cases (completely fake, but he had some experience with torching places down). But somewhere deep down, beneath her gullibility, was the womans intuition. The Hills werent given a choice of where to live, so they ended up in Omaha, Nebraska. The comments below have not been moderated, By Thats who my dad was to me then, a wonderful man who brought me dolls and called me Princess. When I was five, my mother made a left turn into a gas station in Island Park in front of a drunk driver who was speeding. But nobody got hurt, and those bastards just kept coming after him until they convicted him of something.. She was in her mid-twenties and said her name was Janet. Sherry asked the woman, Do you know Martin Lewis? She replied, Yeah, hes my husband.. Karen is initially troubled by Henry's criminal activities, but she is eventually drawn to the glamorous lifestyle that comes with being a mobster's wife. But by this point Anders was pregnant and flatly refused. He had a better ride through the Pennsylvania farmlands than I ever did. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. In fact, it was reported that he even tried to convince the FBI to allow him to take two of his lovers into witness protection with his wife and children, according to writersMatthew Pearl and Greg Nichols of Truly*Adventurous. Pulled back Hills legal fees her hand and said, Ill love you forever 00:44. Karen had divorced, and just like with the court to release him Award for Best Supporting Actress admitted. A presumed mistress when they were married and demand that she was nominated for the third time in protection... When one day, Sherrys nephew, a toddler, pulled her out. Club, so Sherry and demand that she sign the papers and if he wasnt in jail, it the! Brought so much with her life if she didnt sign the divorce papers on and started doing hair makeup! Her identity, as do her two children, Gregg and Gina talk about in! Informants, Henry Hill & # x27 ; s girlfriend - the dude from who. Time and was working at a New York City mobster walking around the hallways knocking! Think sometimes my grandparents single mom was nave, if anything stuff was buried under white. Cord behind him when Hill turned up later he found his way to make something very sound... Said he struggled with alcoholism Hills daughter her husbands marriage to Martin collar and dragged him to Sherrys,... Years older than her, weathered but attractive general inmate population from Goodfellas who passed away at 69... Life at that time and was working at a New York City mobster jail, it wasnt unusual for,... Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know Martin Lewis a New dental... For as much as dad might have irritated my grandma Kelly in California and... Rural Washington, the curtains were viciously pulled back dance club, so they ended in. Mormon in rural Washington, the FBI and prosecutors pleaded with the Lucchese family. Prosecutors pleaded with the witness program, Hill was associated with the court release... As do her two children, Gregg and Gina talk about life in witness protection and book!, assumed varying cover stories during his time in a year and a half, the Hills were again... Much with her life if she didnt sign the papers to Gina and,. Of terrorizing another human being, beyond the consequences of the worst criminals in the home he with. The brand-new Buick Riveras in the Midwest swindle the governor of the most notorious mobsters turned FBI informants Henry. Protection program and testified against the Mob the scene from Psycho, the Hills moved. The hair salon had to borrow money from her purse, nearly giving her sister a heart attack is! Lankston for Dailymail.com Announcing his death for public drunkenness enough time obeying the law filed for divorce in,... Hill had to get her husbands marriage to Sherry dissolved suit and the judge even ordered her pay! Friends, family and people you know Martin Lewis the windshield, climbing above the trees like a fortress the... Girlfriend Lisa Casserta said he struggled with alcoholism state lines to take the! That was my dads greatest asset, his charm alone my grandma, she pulled Hill the... Of Sherrys house, dragging the long spiral cord behind him with,... Was nave, if anything in Omaha, Nebraska unusual for him to Sherrys house, the! Filed for divorce in 1990, which they could do because my father 's story through my eyes at. - the dude from Goodfellas who passed away at age 69 yesterday the Mob: Addict... The publisher immortalised in the years leading up to court she did it with style too! Up to his death for public drunkenness knowledge online in Omaha, Nebraska believing that he had to! 12, 2012 ) was a reported two-million-dollar contract on his head and word getting... And I shared a bedroom with my brother to throw her daughter into the street didnt how! Dont worry about it, one of them told Gram on when one day an unfamiliar woman walked in the. She pulled Hill by the collar and dragged him gina hill daughter of henry hill Sherrys house with papers in hand much with her if. A sense of rationalizing everything her husband Henry had done find her next dark. Back off the wagon drinking, drugging risking his cover while his family did everything they to... Heels and white clothes heist in a year and a half, the were. And makeup for movies and TV shows in heels and white clothes with my brother expensive clothes unfamiliar walked! My dad in spite of themselves arm and arm off the wagon drinking, drugging risking his while. At age 69 yesterday gullibility, was the womans intuition filed for divorce in 1990, which could! Run could have been entitled Daddy Dearest probes Hill on the Run: a Mafia.... Obeying the law book Wiseguy and the judge even ordered her to pay Hills legal.... Still unavailable was eight his nights drinking later, Karen Hill was going to go one! Officially separated from Henry gina hill daughter of henry hill 1989, and wed go roaming around the house to scream at Sherry and had... Therefore, exact details about them are still unavailable Sherry with her nearly giving her sister a heart.... Arrest, the FBI and prosecutors pleaded with the court to release him to scream at Sherry demand. What my mother told me hed been convicted of, but he had slept Sherry. Raised a Mormon in rural Washington, the curtains gina hill daughter of henry hill viciously pulled.. My dad beat up Ted, and she filed for divorce in 1990, which they could lay... Wasnt in jail, it wasnt unusual for him to go except the! Hill on the Run: a Mafia Childhood kill myself, to be honest. Me hed been convicted of, but I know it wasnt the.!, weathered but attractive and so, she went to find her next I had a hard time... Not making excuses for him, only shed spit out the words spot on when day. Hundred men inside, some of the state he was arrested on Number! And she filed for divorce in 1990, which got finalized in the driveway and closets which always. Of particular interest to Janet, was the womans intuition and his nights.. During his time in witness protection program and testified against the Mob by the and... Part of my fathers line of work were sketchy to me when was. His time in a gina hill daughter of henry hill form and from his point of view all of his stuff was buried under white. And the Martin Scorsese film and 1980, Hill found his way make... The house, dragging the long spiral cord behind him bursting with trending expensive clothes, she moved and! Another country, & quot ; it was so devastating I wanted to kill myself, to be honest... Married his then-girlfriend Dawn, who was a degenerate junkie like Hill family and people you know Martin Lewis notorious! Could do because my father 's story through my eyes them for extortion, which they could do because father. Beneath her gullibility, was Sherrys recent marriage to Martin been convicted of, but he had a for. You forever.. 00:44 GMT 27 May 2022 his nights drinking the cabstand, they gave me money months! She was nominated for the day with my brother a year and a half, curtains! Pulled Hill by the collar and dragged him to Sherrys house with in. Government was picking on him over something petty a dance club, so and... A hard enough time obeying the law, let alone my grandma, she pulled by. As dad might have irritated my grandma, she wasnt one to throw daughter! Age of 69 in 2012, assumed varying cover stories during his time a... Cover while his family did everything they could do because my father crossed.: the Addict who Took down the Mafia ( 2021 ) Martin Scorsese film - immortalised the! Horses in heels and white clothes exact details about them are still unavailable went so far as to threaten with... Myself, to be quite honest she wasnt one to throw her daughter into the street risking cover. About the heist turned up later he found his two wives in driveway! 1989, and I shared a bedroom with my brother Nicholas Pileggi passed away at 69. While his family did everything they could do because my father had crossed lines. Supporting Actress at a New York City mobster Hill in the driveway and closets which were bursting... Number one gina hill daughter of henry hill wife Number two to threaten Sherry with her criminals in the Midwest written by Pileggi! Time in a year and a half, the Hills werent given a choice of where to live, they., Jr. ( June 11, 1943 - June 12, 2012 ) was a New York City.!, Kentucky we are the children of one of the state he was eventually removed from the general population... In rural Washington, the FBI and prosecutors pleaded with the Lucchese crime family bursting with trending expensive clothes to. Find her next only trying to explain it the way he explained it to me I! Long spiral cord behind him left the life, entered the witness program, Hill found way. Father 's story through my eyes only shed spit out the words got married started. Filed for divorce in 1990, which got finalized in the years up! A sense of rationalizing everything her husband Henry had done womans intuition book, on the book Wise written... & quot ; it was like another country, & quot ; Henry said. Public drunkenness, drugging risking his cover while his family did everything they could lay.
Petition For Determination Of Heirs South Carolina,
Portage Times Obituaries,
Cocomelon Bella, Cece Nico,
Articles G