Man Sentenced In Fatal Stamford Jewelry Store Robbery: Feds

STAMFORD, CT — A 66-year-old man received 32 years in prison plus five years of supervised release for his role in the March 2020 robbery of Marco Jewelers in Stamford that left the store owner dead, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney for the District of CT Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Thomas Liberatore, formerly of Stamford, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport. Liberatore was referred to as the "architect" of the robbery in a news release from Avery's office.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 28, 2020, at approximately 2:48 p.m., Stamford police responded to Marco Jewelers, located at 16 Sixth St., in Stamford.

When officers arrived, they found evidence of a robbery and encountered the storeowner, Mark Vuono, lying on the ground in front of an open safe, Avery said. Vuono was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators collected and analyzed surveillance video from Marco Jewelers, surrounding businesses and Stamford city cameras. Video obtained from Marco Jewelers showed that, on March 28, 2020, Paul Prosano drove Robert Rallo and Liberatore in a black Jaguar to Marco Jewelers, Avery said.

Rallo and Liberatore then entered the store. Rallo, armed with a handgun, engaged in a physical altercation with Vuono, while Liberatore stole items from the display cases, Avery said.

Vuono, who also had a gun, 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 weapon, a .357 Magnum revolver, and shot and killed Vuono, Avery said.

Between $360,000 and $430,000 worth of jewelry was stolen during the robbery.

Following the robbery, authorities located the black Jaguar in Staten Island, N.Y., and kept surveillance on the car.

On March 31, 2020, Prosano and Rallo were arrested after they were seen driving separate cars, a Jaguar and BMW, in Staten Island. A search of the BMW which Prosano was driving found 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring and a cufflink, and a search of Prosano’s home found 23 pairs of earrings and three rings — all items stolen from Marco Jewelers, Avery said.

Liberatore has been detained since his arrest on April 1, 2020. On Dec. 19, 2022, a jury found Liberatore and Prosano 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.

"The trial evidence established that Liberatore, who formerly resided in Stamford, orchestrated the robbery of Marco Jewelers," Avery said.

Liberatore has a lengthy criminal history, according to Avery, and he served a total of approximately 30 years in prison before the Marco Jewelers robbery and the murder of Vuono. He met Rallo and Prosano while incarcerated in the New York State Department of Corrections, Avery said.

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 in prison.

On July 5, 2023, Prosano was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

This investigation was 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 was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis, Rahul Kale and Margaret Donovan.