Lufthansa Heist Breaking News: Mobster Vincent Asaro Acquitted
The alleged mobster involved in the 1978 Lufthansa Heist Vincent Asaro was just released and acquitted on Thursday as the federal jury in Brooklyn surprisingly voted for Asaro's case, leading him to be acquitted of charges that he helped plan the legendary heist.
The Lufthansa Heist was highly criticized and was even turned into a motion picture in 1978, which included big-named celebrities like Robert De Niro to play in the film titled "Goodfellas." The New York Post reported that the acquitting of Asaro could have been caused by the lack of evidence against him.
"My gut feeling was that they didn't have enough evidence," Stephen Carbone, a retired FBI supervisor who previously worked during the infamous 1978 Lufthansa Heist, said per The New York Post.
"When I realized that the only witness was the cousin, I didn't feel that would be enough to convict," he added.
Meanwhile, the recently released 80-year-old Asaro was quoted saying "Free!" just when the verdict was announced as quoted by the Associated Press.
"I was shocked, I was really shocked," Asaro then said outside the court. "I've got two years in, and I'm dying to get home." The first thing Asaro plans to do is to have a good meal with his family as he revealed because he was fed up in eating bologna sandwiches.
As of the moment, the U.S. Attorney declined to comment as the results of the trial were not favorable. Even with the closing arguments, assistant U.S. attorney Alicyn Cooley pushed for the conviction of Asaro. She described Asaro, whose family background had been affiliated with the secretive Bonanno crime family, as a person who "was born into that life and he fully embraced it."
His devotion to the Bonannos, Cooley stated, "was as permanent as the 'death before dishonour' tattoo on his arm." However, given that Asaro was proven innocent had a lot to say about the prosecution to be initially filled with lies.
"She must've put 30 agents on the stand, all lies," Asaro said, which was backed up by his defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio.
"These are despicable people," Macedonio said as quoted by the Associated Press, adding that "They are accomplished liars."
As the media waits for any comment from the U.S. Attorney, Carbone feels that they have been devastated with the acquittal. "Here's the deal: From what I remember, I know there is a general policy that when you go to trial [in federal court], you feel confident 90 percent of the time," he said as quoted by the New York Post. "I'm sure they put a lot of work into it and feel very disappointed."
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