How Is Henry Hill A Gangster

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The gangsters we know and love today are much different from what they were 40 years ago. From the way they talked, dressed, and went about their business, the idea of a gangster has changed a lot. But they have one thing in common and this is the fact that they both had and have a huge impact on our society. One gangster in particular, Henry Hill, contributed to a huge turning point in the methods of American criminals. Henry Hill’s accomplishments as a mobster and an FBI informant helped change the ways of organized crime and how the government tried to stop them.
Henry Hill was born on June 11, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Henry Hill Sr., was and Irish-American electrician. His mother, Carmela Hill, was a Sicilian American. Hill grw up with eight other siblings in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Hill lived across the street from a common mobster hangout. This hangout was run by Paul Vario who was a capo in the Lucchese crime family. In his teens, Hill began to run errands for various people at Vario’s numerous stores. He often worked at the cabstand. He missed so much school that the school sent a letter ion the mail to his parents. Upon hearing this the mobsters Hill was working for threatened to kill the mailman if he ever delivered another note from the school to Hill’s house. Hill met James “Jimmy” Burke in 1956. Hill served drinks and food at card games and admired Burke for his generous tipping.
One year later Paul Vario’s brothers Vito and Lenny, gave Hill a union card at the bricklayers local. This meant that Hill could run errands for the mobsters and get paid $190 a week for a job he didn’t have to show up to. Once he was presented with this opportunity, Hill dropped out of high school and worked for the gangst...

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...arrested on a narcotics trafficking charge on April 27, 1980. Hill was convinced that Vario and Burke both wanted him dead. While in jail the investigators showed Hill the tapes they had of Burke and Vario discussing Hill’s death. Hill still refused to talk. When Hill was released on bail he met Burke at a sweatshop and Burke told Hill to come with him to Florida to whack somebody. Hill knew this meant Burke was going to kill him. The investigators didn’t want to risk having Hill killed and arrested him as a material witness in the Lufthansa heist.
On May 27, 1980, Henry Hill signed an agreement with the United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Strike Force and became an FBI informant. Hill testified in court against his former associates to avoid going to prison for his crimes or getting killed by a mobster. Hill’s testimony led to fifty convictions.

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