A crew of alleged mobsters with links to the Lucchese and Gambino crime families were arrested yesterday in connection with a $2 million daylight diamond heist of two elite Manhattan jewelers.
The robbers posed as construction workers before pulling guns on store workers at Bayco Jewels on Madison Avenue on January 3 and another unnamed store on Elizabeth Street on May 20 – before making off with an estimated $2 million worth of jewelry.
Among the accused is Luchese crime family associate Frank ‘Skip’ Dipietro, 65, who previously served 19 years in federal prison for the mob killing of a witness.
The other men arrested were named as Vincent Cerchio, 69, Vincent Spagnuolo, 65, and Michael Sellick, 67, in connection with the Bayco Jewels heist.
Samuel Sorce, 25, was arrested in connection with the related robbery of the Elizabeth Street store.
It is alleged that DiPietro yelled ‘give it to me’ to staff at Bayco as his associate, Michael Sellick, told the worker to ‘turn around and get in the closet’
Bayco jewels requires a credit check in order to book an appointment to its penthouse
The defendants were arrested on June 6 in New York and New Jersey and presented to Manhattan Federal Court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.
They have been charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
They have also each been charged with one count of brandishing a firearm during and in connection with a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison to be imposed in addition to any other sentence.
Bayco Jewels is a jeweler to the stars, with its gems worn by the likes of Beyoncé and Rhianna.
To book an appointment at their Madison Avenue penthouse showroom prospective shoppers must first pass a credit check.
CCTV footage obtained by NYPD and FBI investigators shows the robbers dressing in construction gear nearby before heading to Bayco Jewels and posing as workmen outside the shopfront.
The footage then shows the men entering the store as its employees were setting up the store front, before threatening them at gunpoint.
It is alleged that DiPietro yelled ‘give it to me’ as his associate, Michael Sellick, told the worker to ‘turn around and get in the closet.’
Cell phone records linked several of the suspects to one another, before, during and after the holdup, Major Case Squad detectives said.
CCTV footage obtained by NYPD and FBI investigators shows the robbers dressed in construction gear nearby
The robbers then head to Bayco Jewels and pose as workmen outside the shopfront
The robbers fled the store with at least three pieces of high-end diamond jewelry, including an approximately 73-carat necklace
Among the $2million stolen goods was an approximately six-carat ring
Frank DiPietro and Vincent Cerchio are among the arrested in connection with the heist
Vincent Spagnuolo and Michael Sellick have also been charged with federal robbery counts
Bayco Jewels is a jeweler to the stars, with its gems worn by the likes of Beyoncé and Rhianna, seen wearing Bayco Sapphires And Diamonds.
The robbers fled the store with at least three pieces of high-end diamond jewelry, including an approximately 73-carat necklace, six-carat ring, and 17-carat pair of earrings.
The same stunt was pulled on May 20 when a jewelry store on Elizabeth Street was robbed by men posing as construction workers.
Police believe Sellick pointed a gun at the store’s employees and ordered them to the ground, while Dipietro gathered jewelry.
The two men then fled the store into a getaway car allegedly driven by Sorce, who was also dressed like a construction worker – before switching to another vehicle said to have been driven by Spagnuolo.
In a statement U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said ‘these five defendants allegedly carried out brazen and dangerous daylight robberies of jewelry stores in Manhattan, stealing about $2 million in jewelry at gunpoint.
Dressed as construction workers, the defendants are accused of trying to blend into the busy streets around them before pointing guns at the jewelry stores’ employees and carrying out about $2 million in stolen diamonds and other valuable pieces.
‘Thanks to the career prosecutors from my Office and our partners at the NYPD and the FBI, the defendants’ alleged armed robbery spree has been shut down.’
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: ‘The defendants allegedly brazenly robbed Manhattan jewelry stores of approximately $2 million worth of merchandise at gunpoint.
‘Violent robberies, especially those with firearms, will not be tolerated by the FBI and our partners in law enforcement. The arrests today should serve as a warning to anyone willing to engage in armed robberies – you will face the consequences.’