New York man is sentenced to 30 years in fatal Connecticut jewelry store heist
Jul 5, 2023, 10:59 AM
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A 63-year-old New York man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison for his role in the robbery of a Connecticut jewelry store that ended with the jeweler being shot to death.
Paul Prosano, who prosecutors say goes by the street name of “Tony Pro,” was convicted in December of crimes including robbery and the interstate transportation of stolen property.
He was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court by Judge Kari A. Dooley.
Prosecutors say Prosano and two other men robbed Marco Jewelers in Stamford in March 2020, getting away with between $360,000 and $400,000 worth of jewelry.
Police found the store owner, Mark Vuono, dead in front of the store’s open safe.
Prosecutors said surveillance video showed Prosano driving the other two men, Robert Rallo and Thomas Liberatore, to the store.
The men were arrested after police found the car in Staten Island, New York and put it under surveillance. Authorities said they later recovered jewelry from the robbery, including 23 pairs of earrings and three rings that were found inside Prosano’s home.
Rallo, who was charged with firing the fatal shots, is serving a 40-year sentence on charges including using a firearm to cause a death during a robbery. Liberatore, who was also convicted of federal robbery charges, is awaiting sentencing.
Prosecutors say Prosano, of Brooklyn, New York, has a criminal history of robberies dating back more than 40 years. They say he met his co-defendants while they all were serving time in New York.
