Richard DiStefano, 66, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 12 to one day in prison and ordered to pay $1.6 million in restitution for stealing valuable coins from a bank safe deposit box. United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentence, which also includes three years of supervised release, following a hearing before United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage.
The case centers on the theft of precious coins stored at a Wells Fargo branch on South Broad Street between July 2017 and February 25, 2021. Prosecutors said DiStefano used his access as an attorney to remove the coins over several years.
DiStefano pleaded guilty to bank larceny in September of last year after being charged by information. The FBI began investigating in June 2024 when they were notified about the missing coins and found that DiStefano was the last person with access to the safety deposit box. In September 2024, agents executed a search warrant at his address where he admitted to taking and selling the coins at auction houses.
According to court filings, the stolen coins had an appraised value just over $1.6 million. The investigation determined that DiStefano sold them through various auction houses during multiple transactions.
The FBI investigated this case with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Grenell and Ruth Mandelbaum.
