Robert's Lounge was a saloon located at 114-45 Lefferts Boulevard, in

South Ozone Park, Queens South Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is just north of John F. Kennedy International Airport, between Aqueduct Racetrack to the west and the Van Wyck Expressway to the east. ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Several notable figures of the American Mafia owned shares in the establishment, including James Burke and Vincent Asaro. Burke used the location, which included an attached building with a cellar clubhouse and mosaic floor, as a hub for illegal operations, including the

Lufthansa heist The Lufthansa heist was a robbery which took place at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 11, 1978. An estimated US$5.875 million (equivalent to US$28.32 million in 2024) was stolen, with $5 million i ...

and Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal. The group responsible for truck hijackings in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

and heists at

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

were known as the "Robert's Lounge group". The saloon was used as a hangout by

Paul Vario Paul Vario (July 10, 1914 – May 3, 1988) was an American mobster and made man in the Lucchese crime family. Vario was a caporegime and had his own crew of mobsters in Brooklyn, New York. Following the testimony of Henry Hill, Vario was c ...

. The basement was a graveyard for mob victims. A human leg bone and a portion of a human shoulder bone were excavated from the basement on June 6, 1980. The bones were thought to have been those of two of Burke's associates,

Thomas DeSimone Thomas James DeSimone (June 6, 1946 – disappeared January 14, 1979) was an American criminal associated with New York City's Lucchese crime family who is alleged to have participated in both the Air France robbery and the Lufthansa heist. H ...

and Martin Krugman, who went missing a short time after the

. Robert's Lounge was under control of new owners by 1980, and was known as South Side Inn. In 2015, a restaurant serving Guyanese and Jamaican food was operating at the former site of Robert's Lounge.

References

Bibliography

* * {{American Mafia Drinking establishments in New York City Lufthansa heist Vario Crew Lucchese crime family Buildings and structures in Queens, New York