Daniel Simone (born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
) is an American author who specializes in writing about sensational crimes in collaboration with one of the perpetrators or investigators of the actual event.
''The Lufthansa Heist''
Daniel Simone co-wrote ''
The Lufthansa Heist
''The Lufthansa Heist: Behind the Six-Million-Dollar Cash Haul That Shook the World'' is a non-fiction book written by Daniel Simone in collaboration with Henry Hill. It was published by Lyons Press, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, on Augus ...
'' with
Henry Hill
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 testif ...
.
Hill was one of the organizers of the infamous 1978
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
robbery at
Kennedy Airport. Hill's life and criminal career is portrayed in
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...
's film ''
Goodfellas
''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book '' Wis ...
''. Simone also had the collaboration of the two FBI agents who led the investigation of the robbery. These two investigators declared their testimonials to Hill and Simone's account in the book's Foreword and Afterward, which were written by them. Additionally, Simone relied on numerous other sources such as the former US Attorney in charge of the Lufthansa case,
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...
officials, a former
NYPD
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
detective, and an ex
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
Nassau County Assistant District Attorney. Simone interviewed several alleged Mafia gangsters who came forth with their knowledge related to the plotting of the Lufthansa robbery. Court records, too, were helpful to the author during the production of the manuscript. Refer to the Author's Notes and Sources in ''The Lufthansa Heist'' by Daniel Simone &
Henry Hill
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 testif ...
.
In this book, Daniel Simone also describes a full account of the 1978 infamous Boston College Basketball Point Shaving Scheme engineered by
Henry Hill
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 testif ...
. The fixing of the Boston Eagles games stands as one of the most widely known sports scandals in American history. Hill recruited three Eagles players to manipulate the scoring so that it would end over or under the point spread odds set by the Las Vegas bookmakers. Also refer to pages 76–86 in ''
The Lufthansa Heist
''The Lufthansa Heist: Behind the Six-Million-Dollar Cash Haul That Shook the World'' is a non-fiction book written by Daniel Simone in collaboration with Henry Hill. It was published by Lyons Press, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, on Augus ...
'' by Daniel Simone &
Henry Hill
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 testif ...
.
''The Lufthansa Heist'' is a dramatic rendition of the robbery, unveiling facts and comprehensive details that Henry Hill had not publicized in the past.
The Charles Manson Project
In early 2015, Simone and a collaborator, Heidi Jordan Ley, completed a manuscript about the
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
murder convictions titled, ''The Retrial of Charles Manson''. This is the first book, according to the author, endorsed and corroborated by Manson. Simone and his collaborator re-investigate and discredit the
Helter Skelter theory put forth by Manson's prosecutor,
Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent T. Bugliosi Jr. (; August 18, 1934 – June 6, 2015) was an American prosecutor and author who served as Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office between 1964 and 1972.
He became best known for s ...
, as the motivation of the Sharon Tate and her friends' murders. Furthermore, this version of the Charles Manson affair outlines Bugliosi's arrest for fabrication of evidence and perjury during the Manson trial. Among those charges he was also indicted for leaking non-public court documents to a reporter.
[Stout, David (June 9, 2015)] Simone also discloses Bugliosi's other criminal misdeeds of personal nature and unrelated to the Manson prosecution, revelations that he, Simone, supports with substantial documentation.
The manuscript was adapted to a documentary series titled, ''Charles Manson: The Final Words''. It premiered on the REELZ Channel on December 6, 2017.
Pierre Hotel Robbery
Simone recently completed a book, titled ''The Pierre Hotel Affair.'' It is published by Pegasus. This project is about the 1972 famed
Pierre Hotel Robbery
The Pierre hotel robbery was a January 2, 1972 robbery at The Pierre in New York City. The robbery netted $3 million (worth $27 million today), and was organized by Samuel Nalo; Robert "Bobby" Comfort, an associate of the Rochester Crime Family; a ...
when eight armed robbers, with extraordinary politeness and civility, placed the entire complex under siege, captured its employees and anyone who happened to have been in the lobby area, and ransacked the guests' safe deposit boxes, escaping with $28,000,000 in jewels, cash, and bearer bonds. (Refer to ''The Man Who Robbed the Pierre'' by Ira Berkow). The sole surviving perpetrator,
Nick 'the Cat' Sacco, who is currently in the
Federal Witness Protection Program
The United States Federal Witness Protection Program (WPP), also known as the Witness Security Program or WITSEC, is a witness protection program codified through 18 U.S. Code § 3521 and administered by the United States Department of Justic ...
for an unrelated crime, has collaborated with Simone in developing the book, revealing never-before-told facts and revelations. (See also April 19, 2016 issue Page 12 of New York Post). (See additional citation on May 5, 2016, Page 34 issue of Dan's Papers. This weekly print magazine is based in Southampton, New York and has no connection with Daniel Simone).
Many of the victims, who refused to cooperate with the authorities, were of high-society stock. The
Pierre Hotel
The Pierre is a luxury hotel located at 2 East 61st Street, at the intersection of that street with Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City, facing Central Park. Designed by Schultze & Weaver, the hotel opened in 1930 with 100+ employees, n ...
, located in mid-
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, is rated as one of the most luxurious in the world, hosting celebrities, affluent personages, and high ranking statesmen. Furthermore, ''The Pierre Hotel Affair'' sets forth and reconstructs how fourteen months prior to the caper, two of the gunmen, Robert ''Bobby'' Comfort and Sammy ''the Arab'' Nalo, held captive and robbed the Italian actress,
Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
. Comfort and Nalo relieved her of approximately $520,000 in jewelry. (Refer to
New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...
April 30, 1973 issue page 46).
In the end, much to the frustration of the investigators, the stolen items from the Loren and the Pierre robberies were never recovered.
Published feature articles
Simone has published approximately 130 feature stories in several print publications. In 2009, he created ''Between the Lines'', a monthly column published in ''LI Pulse'' magazine, a print publication with a certified circulation of 100,000. In the ''Between the Lines'' series, Simone presents his interviews with celebrity authors and his reviews of their latest titles.
Celebrity correspondent editor
From 2006 through 2013, serving as a celebrity correspondent, Simone has published in various print media an array of his interviews with celebrity actors and authors.
Television & Radio appearances
From time to time, Simone has been on television programs discussing his current literary projects or as a highlight commentator in documentaries of renowned crimes and reputed gangsters. In 2012, Simone appeared in a documentary series produced and broadcast by the
Biography Channel
FYI (stylized as fyi,) is an American basic cable channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications (each owns 50%). The network features lifestyle pr ...
, titled ''
Mobsters
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization a ...
'', wherein he contributed particulars about the felonious life of
Jimmy ''the Gent'' Burke and his masterminding of the Lufthansa robbery.
In 2015, he was cast in an indie film, titled ''
The Assault
''The Assault'' (original title in Dutch language, Dutch: ''De aanslag'') is a 1982 novel by Netherlands, Dutch author Harry Mulisch. Random House published an English translation by Claire Nicolas White in 1985. It covers 35 years in the life o ...
''.
He played the part of a professional gambler, Al Visconti, who was secretly gambling on behalf of the New York
Lucchese Crime Family
The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as ...
. In 2017, Simone Appeared in another film titled, ''Room 7''. In that movie he is portrayed as the ''Author''.
On May 21, 2017, the
REELZ Channel
Reelz (formerly known as Reelz Channel) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The network's programming was formerly devoted to entertainment-oriented programming focusing on the Hollywood ...
launched a documentary series titled, ''
The Shocking Truth'', and Daniel Simone appeared in the first episode titled, ''
Goodfellas
''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book '' Wis ...
''. (Refer to REELZ TV Schedule) He is often interviewed on nationally syndicated radio talk shows, discussing a variety of topics surrounding famous capers, Mafia personalities, and their impact on society. He also delves into the questionable effectiveness of the judicial system pertaining to Mafia associates. On February 21, 2016, and May 28, 2017, Mr. Simone has been a guest on journalist
George Knapp's syndicated
Coast to Coast radio show.
Simone has appeared also on the
ED Bernstein TV Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Early life
In his earlier years, Simone received a degree in Aerospace and Aerodynamics engineering from
Farmingdale State University in Long Island, N.Y.
In 1972, he was employed at
Grumman Aerospace Industries and contributed to the assembly of the later versions of the
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
lunar modules that landed on the moon surface. He operated an
Electron Beam Welding
Electron-beam welding (EBW) is a fusion welding process in which a beam of high-velocity electrons is applied to two materials to be joined. The workpieces melt and flow together as the kinetic energy of the electrons is transformed into heat up ...
machine, which was then an innovative method of fusing two metals with dissimilar properties.
He later majored in English literature at
Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...
in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1980, he enrolled in law courses at
St. John's University in Queens,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
References
External links
* http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/08/19/news/doc4e4effa4a258a341443290.txt?viewmode=fullstory
* http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/cindy_adams/tyson_got_talent_BptwR8W9C9xI4m9iGLtyOK
* https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/03/15/and-goodfellas-sports-scandal-and-its-lingering-toll/nvlXKiXCYsGpUqBUtg9BRN/story.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simone, Daniel
American non-fiction crime writers
Writers from New York City
21st-century American novelists
1956 births
American thriller writers
American mystery writers
Ghostwriters
Living people
Farmingdale State College alumni
Long Island University alumni
St. John's University (New York City) alumni
Novelists from New York (state)
21st-century American non-fiction writers