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White Plains resident Thomas Liberatore, age 65, and Brooklyn resident Paul Prosano, age 62, were both found guilty by a jury for their roles in the March 28, 2020 robbery of Marco Jewelers in Stamford, US Attorney Vanessa Avery announced on Monday, Dec. 19.
On the day of the robbery, around 2:50 p.m., police in Stamford responded to Marco Jewelers, located at 16 Sixth St., for a reported robbery. When they arrived at the store, they found signs of a robbery and found the owner, Mark Vuono, lying on the ground in front of a safe that had been opened. Vuono was then pronounced dead once emergency responders arrived, Avery said.
The chief medical examiner's office later found that Vuono had died from a bullet wound to the head.
After analyzing security footage from the store and surrounding streets and businesses, police determined that on the day of the robbery, Prosano, also known as "Tony Pro," had driven Liberatore and a third man, Brooklyn resident Robert Rallo, age 59, to Marco Jewelers in a black Jaguar. Rallo and Liberatore had then entered the store, according to Avery.
Once inside, Rallo engaged in a physical fight with Vuono in front of the business's large open safe, while Liberatore stole jewelry from the store's display cases. After Rallo and Vuono, both armed with guns, continued to struggle for more than three minutes, Rallo reached into the safe and pulled out a .357 Magnum revolver, which he used to kill Vuono, Avery said.
After the incident, police found the black Jaguar that Prosano had driven the men in at a location in Staten Island. On March 30, 2020, around 5:30 p.m., two days after the robbery, a black BMW X3 driven by Prosano pulled up next to the Jaguar. Rallo then got out of the BMW and entered the driver's seat of the Jaguar, before the two vehicles sped away, according to Avery.
Soon after this though, the Jaguar crashed on Tompkins Street. Rallo then tried to escape officers on foot but was quickly caught. Similarly, the BMW also crashed soon after, and Prosano was also caught by police after attempting to flee, Avery said.
The BMW was then searched, and authorities found numerous items of stolen jewelry, including 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring, and a cufflink. Additionally, 23 pairs of earrings and three rings were found in Prosano's residence, according to Avery.
In addition to Rallo and Prosano, Liberatore was also arrested on March 30, 2020. Since then, the three men have been in prison. Rallo pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, and one count of using a firearm to cause a death during a robbery on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Avery said.
As for Liberatore and Prosano, both were found guilty of interference with commerce by robbery and interstate transportation of stolen property. Additionally, Liberatore was also found guilty of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm to cause a death during a robbery, which has a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to Avery.
Sentencing dates for the two men have not yet been scheduled.
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