Defendant Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison In Stamford Murder/Robbery

STAMFORD, CT — One of the defendants in the Marco Jewelers robbery and murder case was sentenced Monday to Wednesday to 30 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, announced United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Brooklyn, New York resident Paul Prosano, also known as "Tony Pro," 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport, for offenses stemming from the robbery of Marco Jewelers in Stamford.

During the March 2020 robbery, the owner of Marco Jewelers, Mark Vuono, was shot and killed.

According to court documents and statements, the incident occurred at about 2:45 p.m. on March 28, 2020, at the Sixth Street store. When officers arrived, they found evidence of a robbery and encountered the store owner, Mark Vuono, lying on the ground in front of an open safe. Emergency medical personnel arrived and pronounced Vuono deceased.

Investigators collected and analyzed surveillance video from the store, surrounding businesses and Stamford city cameras, some of which showed that Prosano drove Robert Rallo and Thomas Liberatore in a black Jaguar to Marco Jewelers.

Rallo and Liberatore then entered the store, at which time Rallo, armed with a handgun, got into 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 for more than three minutes, and Rallo eventually reached into the safe and pulled out a third firearm, a .357 Magnum revolver. Rallo then shot and killed Vuono with the .357 revolver.

The thieves stole between $360,000 and $430,000 worth of jewelry during the robbery, according to prosecutors.

From Avery's announcement:

Following the robbery, law enforcement located the black Jaguar in Staten Island and maintained surveillance on the vehicle. On March 31, 2020, at approximately 5:30 p.m., a black BMW X3, driven by Prosano, pulled up beside the black Jaguar. Rallo exited the rear door of the BMW and entered the driver’s door of a black Jaguar. The two vehicles then left the area and rapidly accelerated. The Jaguar crashed on Tompkins Street. Rallo attempted to flee on foot, but was quickly apprehended. The BMW crashed into a tree and parked car at the intersection of Daniel Low Terrace and Corson Avenue. Prosano also attempted to flee and was apprehended.

A search of the BMW revealed 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring and a cufflink, and a search of Prosano’s residence revealed 23 pairs of earrings and three rings. These items were stolen from Marco Jewelers.

Liberatore was arrested on April 1, 2020.

Prosano has been detained since his arrest. On December 19, 2022, a jury found Prosano and Liberatore guilty of interference with commerce by robbery (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.

Prosano’s criminal history, which includes multiple robbery convictions, spans more than 40 years. He met Rallo and Liberatore while incarcerated within the New York State Department of Corrections.

On April 5, 2022, Rallo pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, interstate transportation of stolen property, and using a firearm to cause a death during a robbery. On March 1, 2023, he was sentenced to 40 years of imprisonment.

Liberatore awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Stamford Police Department and Greenwich Police Department, with the assistance of the New York Police Department, Yonkers (N.Y.) Police Department and New Rochelle (N.Y.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis, Rahul Kale and Margaret Donovan.