A reputed mobster, whose life was portrayed in the 1990 silver screen classic Goodfellas, walked out of a federal court yesterday a free man after he was acquitted on all charges related to the almost 40 year old Lufthansa Terminal Heist at Kennedy Airport in New York.
Vincent Asaro, 80, walked out of a Brooklyn courtroom yesterday after having all charges, including extortion and the most serious charge of racketeering, dropped. After just two days of deliberations, the jury announced a not guilty verdict to a shocked U.S. Attorney’s Office, who had spent years building a case against the men whose lives were made famous in the 90s gangster flick.
The case relied heavily on Mafia testimony, those who were admitted murderers and robbers who were involved in the actual heist back in 1978.
As he walked out of the courthouse on Cadman Plaza in downtown Brooklyn, Mr. Asaro, who had been jailed since January of last year, raised his hands in the air and shouted,
“Free!”
The robbery was allegedly the largest in history, yielding over $5 million and making the front page news across the country and a little over ten years later, amde its way onto the movie screen in the 190 drama Goodfellas.
