Duo found guilty of charges related to 2020 robbery and murder of Stamford jeweler

A federal jury in Bridgeport has rendered guilty verdicts against Thomas Liberatore of White Plains and Paul Prosano of Brooklyn for their roles in the 2020 robbery of Marco Jewelers in Stamford that resulted in the death of the store”™s owner, Mark Vuono.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, Prosano drove Liberatore and Robert Rallo in a black Jaguar to Marco Jewelers on March 28, 2020. 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 more than three-minute struggle, Rallo reached into the safe and pulled out a third firearm, a .357 Magnum revolver. Rallo subsequently shot and killed Vuono with the .357 revolver.

The three men were apprehended in Staten Island two days later and law enforcement officers recovered jewelry stolen from the store.

The jury found Liberatore and Prosano guilty of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), an offense that carries a maximum term imprisonment of 20 years, and with interstate transportation of stolen property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Liberatore was also found guilty of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm to cause a death during a robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

The three defendants have been detained since their arrests, and sentencing dates for Liberatore and Prosano have yet to be scheduled. Rallo pleaded guilty in April 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; he is awaiting sentencing.