An 80-year-old reputed mobster accused of a spectacular 1978 New York airport heist immortalised in Martin Scorsese's movie Goodfellas was acquitted last night in federal court in Brooklyn.
Vincent Asaro, reputedly a member of the notorious Bonanno crime family, had been accused of murder, violence and extortion that allegedly spanned 45 years from the late 1960s.
He was found not guilty on all counts, said a spokeswoman for the US attorney's office in Brooklyn.
In the biggest heist on US soil, armed mobsters stole $5mn in cash and nearly $1m in jewels from a Lufthansa Airlines vault at John F Kennedy airport on 11 December 1978.
The value of the haul today is estimated at around $20m.
Mr Asaro was the first, and probably last, alleged member of the mafia to be prosecuted over the heist.
He had been facing life in prison if convicted.
The trial began on 19 October.
Jurors began deliberations on Monday night and took a break for the Veterans' Day holiday on Wednesday.
