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The intended victim of the failed May 18, 2007 heist, Luis Algarin, previously pleaded to money laundering and was given probation in exchange for agreeing to testify against Castillo and former fellow cop Hector Alvarez.
The bumbling duo nearly got away before police stopped them on Route 495 headed toward the Lincoln Tunnel. In the car they found a bulletproof vest, a gun, a crowbar and a sledgehammer that Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor James Donohue said they were going to use to smash up the place.
The next day, both resigned from the NYPD.
The accused mastermind behind the scheme, Victor Sandoval, who operated a cab service out of New York City, skipped court and remains a fugitive.
Both cops were off duty and in suits that day when they showed up in Rutherford with a phony warrant, Bergen County prosecutors asid. Although the pair identified themselves as federal agents, Algarin wasn’t buying it.
“So he attacked us,” said Castillo, a former amateur boxer.
“We decided it was best to leave,” he added.
A neighbor tried to intercept them, but the pair took off, said Bergen Countly Prosecutor John L. Molinelli.
“As the two officers attempted to flee the altercation, the resident asked who they were,” Molinelli said. “The officers told the resident that they were police officers on ‘official business’ and were conducting an investigation relative to ‘terrorism.'”
The neighbor gave police their license plate number and they were stopped a short time later.Castillo must serve nearly six years of what is expected to be a 7-year sentence for first-degree robbery and wearing a body vest during the commission of a crime when he is sentenced on March 19 in Hackensack.
Prosecutors wouldn’t confirm as much, but he likely was given that much time to allow him to testify against Alvarez, if necessary.
One-time U.S. Marine Alvarez, a father of three, is scheduled for a final status conference this Monday, Dec. 14, before a trial date is set. Odds are his plea will be coming soon.
Lt. Tim Condon of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office contacted the NYC Police Department to make them aware of Castillo’s plea.
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