Chester County Man Sentenced for Stealing Valuable Coins From Bank Safe Deposit Box

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Richard DiStefano, 66, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to one day in prison, to be followed by three years' supervised release, and $1.6 million in restitution by United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage for stealing valuable coins from a safe deposit box.

DiStefano, who was an attorney, was charged by information with bank larceny and pleaded guilty in September of last year.

As detailed in court filings and statements, starting in July of 2017 and going through February 25, 2021, DiStefano stole precious coins that were being stored in a safety deposit box at a Wells Fargo branch on the 100 block of South Broad Street.

In June of 2024, the FBI was notified that this theft had occurred. Subsequently, the FBI was able to obtain records showing that the defendant was the last person to have access to the safety deposit box.

In September of 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant at DiStefano's address. During the execution of the search warrant, the defendant admitted to stealing the coins. The investigation showed that, over the course of years, he had removed the coins from the safety deposit box and sold the coins at various auction houses. The coins' appraised value was just over $1.6 million.

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Grenell and Ruth Mandelbaum.