Armored Car Robbery 6-16-04

[RWC130 594]

Cops: Truck guards steal, stash about $1M

By YARON STEINBUCH

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: June 17, 2004)

PORT CHESTER — Two armored truck guards yesterday stole nearly $1 million by dropping the cash in the village with a third man, then reporting that the money had been stolen from their truck on Staten Island, the village police chief said.

Jeffrey Dinucci of Hawthorne and Jose Lopez of Port Chester, employees of American Armored Car Ltd. of Elmsford, were en route to deliver money on Staten Island shortly before 8 a.m. when they left a bag containing $996,000 with David Dinucci, Jeffrey's brother, Police Chief Joseph Krzeminski said.

When they arrived on Staten Island later, the guards called New York City police to report that they saw robbers make off with two bags of money from their truck, the chief said.

A small bag containing $54,000 was recovered on Staten Island; police believe the suspects planted it themselves to make it appear like it was dropped by fleeing robbers.

"There were no guns, no injuries and no witnesses," Krzeminski said. "I think the NYPD picked up right away that this was not a robbery. The size of the missing bag was the size of a couch. It was just a dumb story."

During their investigation, New York City detectives interviewed David Dinucci at New York United Hospital Medical Center in Port Chester, where he works, police said. Krzeminski believes he told them where to find the loot.

The detectives notified village police of the suspected inside job about 1 p.m. and, along with village police, recovered the large bag containing the $996,000 in a back yard on Perry Avenue. The brothers had once lived at the address where the money was found.

Jeffrey Dinucci, 27, of 428 Elwood Ave., Hawthorne, told police on Staten Island that he experienced chest pains and was taken to a hospital. He was in custody at the hospital last night, Krzeminski said.

Jeffrey Dinucci, David Dinucci, 31, of 125 Crotona Ave., Harrison, and Lopez, 28, of 70 Purdy Ave., Port Chester, were charged last night with second-degree grand larceny, a felony. David Dinucci and Lopez were expected to be arraigned in Village Court this morning. Jeffrey Dinucci was expected to be released from the hospital today and also to be arraigned.

If the investigation determines that the $54,000 is part of the theft, the total would equal $1,050,000, and the charges against the three may be upgraded by the District Attorney's Office to first-degree grand larceny. That charge involves a theft in excess of $1 million.

The three suspects do not have any prior arrests, the chief said. New York City police, citing an active investigation, did not release information last night.

A person who answered the telephone last night at American Armored Car Ltd., 44 N. Saw Mill River Road, declined to comment. An official with the company was at the scene where the bag was found on Perry Avenue, Krzeminski said. "He obviously was very happy to get the money back," he said.

The chief said he did not recall a previous robbery in the village of such magnitude.

"The amount of money involved is incredible," he said. "It's an unusual situation ... it was quite a scare."

RWC130..... I had nothing to do with it!