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Joe Manri

Joe "Buddha" Manri (died 16 May 1979) was a Lucchese crime family associate and one of the men behind the Lufthansa heist. He was whacked after the heist's successful conclusion in 1979.

Biography[]

Frenchy and Buddha dead

McMahon and Manri's bodies in the garbage truck

Joe Manri worked as a night-shift Air France cargo supervisor at the JFK International Airport in Queens, New York City, and he became an associate of Jimmy Conway and the Lucchese crime family. Nicknamed "Buddha" for his large stomach, Manri was involved in hijacking shipments from the airport. His inside information helped the mobsters with the execution of the Lufthansa heist, and Manri and Robert McMahon repeatedly refused offers from the government to join the Witness Protection Program. However, Conway was unwilling to take the risk of allowing for any of the heist crew members to turn states, and he had Manri and McMahon whacked. Their bodies were discovered by garbage men as they poured trash into their truck.

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