Bookending what a federal judge is calling a “reign of terror” over wealthy Westchester and Fairfield County communities that include New Canaan, a pair of New York state brothers were sentenced Tuesday to a combined 42 years in prison for the thefts and often violent robberies of more than $2.5 million in jewelry and other valuables between July 2011 and October 2012.
Paul, 59, and Daniel DiBiase, 58, of Dutchess County pleaded guilty to racketeering and firearms charges related to 27 home invasions, including five gunpoint robberies, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
In one case, a Paul DiBiase tied a woman’s hand and feet, demanded her diamond engagement ring, forced her to open a safe, hit her in the back and threatened to “blow [her] head off.”
New Canaan Police Chief said the brothers committed occupied home invasions in New Canaan during their criminal wave.
New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski
“I am exceptionally proud of the way in which our officers investigated these crimes, and shared information with the FBI, which led to the DiBiases being sentenced to long prison terms,” Krolikowski said. “During their crime spree these men put our residents at grave risk and now will spend many years in federal prison as punishment for their crimes.”
Together with a third man not identified by federal authorities, the pair formed the “DiBiase Home Invasion Crew”—a sophisticated, deliberate and coordinated effort that included studying vulnerable upscale homes based on extensive Internet research, officials said, including newspapers and real estate listings, as well as physical surveillance.
In July 2011, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, Paul DiBiase stole a firearm from the home of a law enforcement officer, and all three would use guns and replicas in burglaries. Daniel DiBiase typically served as getaway driver during the invasions.
The crew had a fence in Manhattan’s Diamond District, and turned their stolen goods into cash there or else gave them away to relatives, officials said.
According to Bharara, the crew sometimes chose to rob homes when they knew occupants were inside.
Back in Dutchess County, the crew would sort through what they stole, discarding costume and other unwanted (less valuable) jewelry into a lake.
Paul DiBiase received 27 years in prison, his brother 15, and each three years of supervised reach, as well.
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos in Manhattan in sentencing the pair said their conduct “borders on sadism.”
Federal officials praised the investigative work of the New Canaan Police Department, specifically, in addition to Greenwich and some Westchester municipalities.
Said Bharara: “The DiBiase brothers committed crimes that involved not only theft but also threatened their victims with gun violence. Their cruel actions have earned them time in federal prison.”