Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that four defendants have been sentenced to significant prison terms by United States District Judge Katherine B. Forrest for their participation in two bank burglaries. In April and May 2016, MICHAEL MAZZARA, CHARLES KERRIGAN, and ANTHONY MASCUZZIO, assisted by CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN, stole more than $20 million in cash, jewelry, collectables, and other valuables from the banks’ vaults and safe deposit boxes.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “By using blow torches to cut through bank roofs, and subsequently into vaults and safe deposit boxes, these defendants deprived hundreds of unsuspecting victims of their valuables, priceless heirlooms, and cherished keepsakes. As a result, the defendants will serve serious prison sentences. We will now be able to reunite many of the stolen items, including religious artifacts, jewelry, baseball cards, and coins, with their rightful owners.”
According to the Complaint and Indictments filed in Manhattan federal court, as well as previous court filings and statements made in public court proceedings:
In April and May 2016, MAZZARA, CHARLES KERRIGAN, MASCUZZIO, and CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN formed a crew that burglarized banks in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, by cutting into the banks’ vaults and the safe deposit boxes inside. MAZZARA, CHARLES KERRIGAN, and MASCUZZIO, with the assistance of CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN, burglarized an HSBC Bank branch located at 4406 13th Avenue in Brooklyn from about April 8 through April 10, 2016, and burglarized a Maspeth Federal Savings Bank branch located at 64-19 Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens, New York, from about May 19 to May 22, 2016. On both occasions, the burglars used acetylene blowtorches to cut into the top of the banks’ vaults from the roof of the building. At the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank branch, they shielded their activities from view by constructing a plywood shed on the roof of the bank. The burglars then entered the vaults from above and took cash belonging to the bank and broke open customers’ safe deposit boxes, stealing the valuables inside. In total, the crew obtained more than $600,000 in cash and more than $20 million in valuables from the safe deposit boxes from both banks. Surveillance footage captured some of the burglars’ activities as they prepared for and executed the burglaries. Financial records and video surveillance also showed MAZZARA and MASCUZZIO purchasing some of the supplies that appear to have been used in the Maspeth burglary.
During the course of the investigation of the burglaries, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) executed multiple search warrants at locations in Brooklyn, Long Island, and Pennsylvania, and seized items that had been taken from safe deposit boxes during the burglaries. In addition, as part of their plea agreements, MAZZARA and MASCUZZIO returned other items that had been stolen from the safe deposit boxes. In total, more than 200 items that were stolen from safe deposit boxes – including religious artifacts, jewelry, and collectibles – have been recovered as a result of this investigation.
MAZZARA, 46, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced by Judge Forrest on April 13, 2018, to a total term of 135 months in prison.
In addition to the burglaries, CHARLES KERRIGAN, 42, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of witness retaliation while on pre-trial release, in connection with his assault of an individual who he believed had provided information regarding the burglaries to the FBI and NYPD. CHARLES KERRIGAN was sentenced by Judge Forrest on April 11, 2018, to a total term of 200 months in prison.
MASCUZZIO, 38, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced by Judge Forrest on May 4, 2018, to a total term of 84 months in prison, and three years of supervised release.
CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN, 41, of Staten Island, New York, was sentenced by Judge Forrest on March 30, 2018, to a total term of 90 months in prison.
In addition to the prison terms, Judge Forrest also ordered that the defendants forfeit more than $20 million. Judge Forrest has adjourned the entry of an order of restitution to the victims of the burglaries until June 28, 2018, so that a final determination of the victims’ losses can be made.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI and NYPD.
If you believe you were a victim of this crime, and you wish to provide information to law enforcement, receive notice of future developments in the case, or review and/or claim any of the stolen items that were recovered during this investigation, please contact the Victim/Witness Unit at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900. For additional information, go to: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/victimwitness.html.
