Ex-mobster, inspiration for ‘Goodfellas,’ jailed

updated 6:41 a.m. ET Sept. 27, 2005

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. - Former mobster-turned-chef Henry Hill, whose experiences inspired the 1990 gangland movie “GoodFellas,” has been sentenced to 180 days in jail for attempted possession of methamphetamine.

Hill, 62, was sentenced Monday and given credit for 34 days served. He had been charged with two felony counts of possessing meth and cocaine, but was allowed to plead no contest on Aug. 8 to the lesser charge.

Police said glass tubes were found during a search of Hill’s luggage at the North Platte Regional Airport in August 2004 and Nebraska State Patrol tests showed two of the tubes contained meth and cocaine residue.

Last month, Hill was arrested on a warrant for violating a plea agreement that said he would not go to jail if he completed an alcohol-treatment program.

Court records said Hill showed up for a pre-sentence meeting with a probation officer with a blood-alcohol level of 0.343 percent — well above Nebraska’s legal driving limit of 0.08 percent.

Hill’s attorney, Russ Jones, said he would file for work release privileges for Hill, who is employed as a chef at an Italian restaurant.

Hill, portrayed by Ray Liotta in “GoodFellas,” sought refuge in the witness protection program after agreeing to testify against his former mob bosses from New York.

However, he left the witness protection program and now lives in North Platte with his wife, who is from the area. He has been working as a chef and helping establish an Italian restaurant. Hill also wrote “The Wiseguy Cookbook,” released in 2002.

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