Man Sentenced In Murder, Robbery Of Stamford Jewelry Store Owner

STAMFORD, CT — A New York man convicted of killing a Stamford jewelry store owner during a robbery in March 2020 was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in prison.

Robert Rallo, 59, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty in April 2022 to interference with commerce by robbery, interstate transportation of stolen property, and using a firearm to cause a death during a robbery.

He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport, according to a news release from Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

"This sentence will protect society from a dangerous individual who brutally killed a much loved and respected man and small business owner," Avery said. "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."

Two other men — Thomas Liberatore, 65, of White Plains, N.Y., and Paul "Tony Pro" Prosano, 62, of Brooklyn, N.Y., — were each found guilty in December 2022 by a federal jury in Bridgeport of interference with commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 20 years; and interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.

Avery said Rallo’s criminal history, which includes two prior murder convictions, spans approximately 40 years. He met Liberatore and Prosano while incarcerated within the New York State Department of Corrections, and had been released from prison in March 2019.

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

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

Investigators collected and analyzed surveillance video from the jewelry store and from surrounding businesses and city cameras.

Prosecutors said video obtained from Marco Jewelers showed that on that date, Rallo and Liberatore were driven in a black Jaguar to Marco Jewelers by Prosano, and that Rallo and Liberatore entered the store.

Rallo, who was armed with a handgun, got into a physical altercation with Vuono, while Liberatore stole items from the display cases, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors noted that Vuono was also armed, and he struggled with Rallo next to a large open safe. During the struggle that lasted more than three minutes, Rallo reached into the safe and pulled out a .357 Magnum revolver and shot and killed Vuono, prosecutors said.

A short time after the robbery, law enforcement officials located the black Jaguar in Staten Island, N.Y., and kept surveillance on it. On March 30, 2020, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Rallo was seen exiting the backseat of a BMW X3 driven by Prosano and getting into the driver's seat of the Jaguar.

Officers followed and the two vehicles fled at a high rate of speed, crashing nearby, prosecutors said. Rallo and Prosano tried to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended by officers.

A search of the BMW found 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring and a cufflink, prosecutors noted. A search of Prosano's home found 23 pairs of earrings and three rings — all items stolen from Marco Jewelers on March 28, prosecutors said.

Liberatore and Prosano are awaiting sentencing.

"We are very pleased to see these three career criminals held accountable for this senseless murder, and we want to commend the tireless, cutting edge police work that led to this outcome," said Stamford Police Asst. Chief Richard Conklin, in a news release.

"While nothing we do can restore what the Vuono family has lost, we hope that this conviction and sentence can offer some solace. We are grateful for the expertise of our officers, as well as the collaboration with the FBI and our other law enforcement partners, that contributed to bringing this painful case to a positive conclusion," Conklin added.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was one of several agencies involved in the case.

"The system of justice in which the FBI and all of our law enforcement partners work within everyday has just spoken," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller, in a news release. "The joint efforts of the investigators and prosecutors has been recognized and justice has been served."