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U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham said on Thursday, April 9, that the three were charged with federal robbery offenses in connection with the Saturday, March 28 robbery of Marco Jewelers in Stamford.
During the robbery, the owner, Mark Vuono, of Marco Jewelers was shot and killed.
The three charged were Thomas Liberatore, 62, of White Plains, and Robert Rallo, 56, and Paul "Tony Pro" Prosano, 59, both of Brooklyn.
Court documents show that Stamford Police officers responded to the store, at 16 Sixth Street around 2:48 p.m. When officers arrived, they found evidence of a robbery and found Vuono, lying on the ground in front of an open safe. Emergency medical personnel arrived and pronounced Vuono dead at the scene.
The chief medical examiner's office said Vuono died from a bullet wound to the head and ruled his death a homicide.
During an investigation, detectives were able to track down surveillance video from the store and surrounding businesses, and city cameras, court documents show.
Video obtained from Marco Jewelers revealed Prosano drove Rallo and Liberatore in a black Jaguar to the store. Rallo and Liberatore then entered the store.
Rallo, armed with a handgun, engaged in a physical altercation with Vuono, while Liberatore stole items from the display cases.
Vuono, who also possessed a firearm, and Rallo struggled next to a large open safe. During the struggle, Rallo reached into the safe and pulled out a third firearm, a .357 Magnum revolver and shot and killed Vuono.
Following the robbery, law enforcement located the black Jaguar in Staten Island and maintained surveillance on the vehicle.
On Monday, March 30, at approximately 5:30 p.m., a black BMW X3, driven by Prosano, pulled up beside the black Jaguar. Rallo exited the rear door of the BMW and entered the driver’s door of a black Jaguar.
The two vehicles then left the area and rapidly accelerated. The Jaguar crashed on Tompkins Street. Rallo attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended.
The BMW crashed into a tree and a parked car at the intersection of Daniel Low Terrace and Corson Avenue. Prosano also attempted to flee and was apprehended.
A search of the BMW revealed 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring, and a cufflink, and a search of Prosano’s residence revealed 23 pairs of earrings and three rings. Police believe all of the items were stolen during the robbery.
Liberatore also was arrested on March 30. It is alleged that prior to the Marco Jewelers robbery, on Wednesday, March 18, he drove a Honda Civic he had stolen from a car dealer in Yonkers to Byram Jewelers in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he robbed the store at gunpoint, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Yonkers police and New Rochelle police assisted the FBI, Greenwich police and Stamford police with the investigation.
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