Judge sets aside verdict in 'Mafia cops' case

NEW YORK -- A judge on Friday threw out a racketeering murder conviction against two detectives accused of moonlighting as hitmen for the mob, saying the statute of limitations had expired on the slayings. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein also granted a new trial to the defendants, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, on money laundering and drug charges. Defense attorneys had argued that the five-year statute of limitations had expired on the most serious allegations against the pair -- that they committed or facilitated eight killings between 1986 and 1990 while on the payroll of both the New York Police Department and Luchese crime family underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso. Prosecutors had countered that the murders were part of an ongoing conspiracy that lasted through a 2005 drug deal with an FBI informant.

Feds arrest South Florida head of crime family

MIAMI -- The alleged head of the Genovese crime family's South Florida ring and six others were arrested and charged with extortion, robbery, money laundering and other acts of racketeering spanning more than a decade, prosecutors said Friday. Renaldi "Ray" Ruggiero, whom federal prosecutors identified as a Genovese capo or captain, appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Friday along with his co-defendants. The arrests are the latest blow to New York's most powerful Mafia family. The family's reputed acting boss, Liborio S. "Barney" Bellomo, and 31 others were arrested in February in New York on charges including murder.

Navy sonar exercises to continue despite lawsuit

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department granted the Navy a national security exemption Friday for the use of sonar during a maritime exercise, sidestepping a lawsuit that sought to protect whales from the noise. Environmental groups sued the federal government on Wednesday to prevent the Navy from using sonar during maritime exercises off Hawaii, saying the sound could harm whales and other marine mammals. The exercise began this week, but the sonar portion of it will not begin until after Tuesday, the Navy has said. The six-month exemption will allow the exercise to continue without a permit from U.S. regulators. It will exempt the Navy from any requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act for that time.

Generic version of Zoloft receives FDA approval

WASHINGTON -- The first generic version of Zoloft, the top-selling antidepressant in the United States, received federal approval Friday. Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said it will make generic versions of the drug, also known as sertraline, in 25-, 50- and 100-milligram tablets. Pfizer Inc.'s patent on Zoloft expires Saturday. The New York-based company is authorizing its own generic version of the drug to undercut Teva's sales. Teva, the world's largest generic pharmaceutical company, plans to begin selling generic Zoloft in late July.

Asteroid to make close, harmless pass by Earth

LOS ANGELES -- An asteroid that is closing in on Earth is not "earth threatening," says a top astronomer. Scientists say the asteroid will zoom by about 269,000 miles from the Earth, 1.1 times farther way than the moon. Skywatchers with good telescopes may be able to pick it out as a small moving dot in the sky Sunday night into Monday. The closest approach will occur on the West Coast about 11:25 p.m. CST Sunday, but the best viewing times will be early Monday, scientists say. More than three dozen asteroids have flown closer to Earth in the last few years, but scientists say this one is one of the largest. It is estimated to be up to a half-mile wide.

-- From wire reports