Robert Rallo was sentenced to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for the March 28, 2020, robbery of Marco Jewelers, during which Rallo shot and killed the owner of the store.
Rallo, armed with a handgun, engaged in a physical altercation with store owner Mark Vuono while his accomplice Thomas 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.
Rallo, Liberatore and Paul Prosano (a third accomplice waiting in a getaway car) were apprehended in Staten Island two days later and law enforcement officers recovered jewelry stolen from the store.
Rallo, whose criminal history includes two prior murder convictions, has been detained since his arrest. On April 5, 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (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 Dec. 19, 2022, a jury found Liberatore and Prosano guilty of Hobbs Act robbery and interstate transportation of stolen property. Liberatore was also found guilty of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm to cause a death during a robbery. They are detained while awaiting sentencing.
“This sentence will protect society from a dangerous individual who brutally killed a much loved and respected man and small business owner,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery. “I thank the FBI and the Stamford, Greenwich, Yonkers, New York and New Rochelle Police Departments for thoroughly investigating this crime and helping to bring these defendants to justice.”
