Colombo crime family mobster Joel “Joe Waverly” Cacace has been acquitted of ordering the murder of NYPD cop Ralph Dols back in 1997. It only took the federal jury four hours of deliberating to come back with the not guilty verdict as they rejected testimony from cooperating witnesses Joseph Competiello and Dino Calabro both part of the Dols hit team. Prosecutors tried to prove that Cacace ordered the hit on Dols because he married the wiseguys ex-wife and had a baby with him and he felt disrespected. A separate jury last year cleared fellow Colombo family mobsters Thomas “Tommy Shots” Gioeli and Dino Saracino of carrying out the alleged orders from Cacace. Dols was shot and killed in front of his home in Sheepshead Bay. After hearing the verdict Cacace nodded his head as he smiled and hugged his lawyer before blowing a kiss to his family sitting in court.

“Joel Cacace”

Although he was found not guilty Cacace is not walking away a free man as he is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence for racketeering. He admitted to ordering the hit against William Aronwald a federal prosecutor in 1987 that lead to the mob busters father being killed by mistake. The 72 year old Cacace is not due to be released until 2020. Joe Waverly’s son Steve said outside court room that truth prevailed and his sister Kathy Vandina added that it was the best day of her life. Sober FBI agents along with Dols mother and sister left the court room with his mom saying the outcome was very upsetting.