Police: Suspects to be Charged in Katonah Home Invasion

Charges are expected to be filed against three men for their alleged roles in a December 2011 armed home invasion in Katonah, according to a federal complaint filed with the U.S. Southern District of New York on Tuesday.

The suspects, Jason Foskey, 34, of Stormville, NY, Carmine Stanzione, 57, of Poughquag, NY and Daniel DiBiase, 55, of Poughquag, were arrested in Harrison last week and face felony burglary charges there. They will also likely face federal charges related to home invasions committed in Bedford and New Canaan, according to testimony from FBI Special Agent Brendan Kenney.

During the arrest in Harrison, a police officer shot Dibiase. He is recovering at Westchester Medical Center suffering a non life-threatening injury, Harrison Police Anthony Marraccini said. He remains under police guard. Stanzione and Foskey were remanded during an arraignment Thursday in Harrison.

In addition to the Harrison burglary, for which Dibiase, Stanzione and Foskey are accused of stealing more than $500,000, the three men were allegedly responsible for the following crimes:

•  A 60-year-old woman told police two men entered her home while she slept alone. The men then tied the woman up and made off with $40,000 worth of items from her house. There were no signs of forced entry during that invasion, and the alarm system was not activated.
• A 42-year old housekeeper of a residence on East Lake Road in Katonah was confronted by two men, tied up and forced into a bathroom. During the robbery, Foskey took a phone from the housekeeper, forced her to the ground at the point of his BB gun, tied her up and locked her in the bathroom. The suspects allegedly stole silverware, stowed it in luggage they found in the residence, and met up DiBiase who drove the three away. The woman was able to free herself and call police.
•  A 52-year-old man was tied up after at least two men entered his residence through an unlocked door. Someone else was home at that time, but the men who invaded the home did not notice that person, who subsequently called police. The men made off with $14,000 worth of items during that invasion. 

The arrests were made as a result of an intensive and lengthy investigation by a task force comprised of numerous local and state law enforcement agencies as well as the FBI.

Officials spent weeks tracking and monitoring the three suspected burglars arrested last week, following the men to attempted burglaries across state lines and even getting close enough to the suspects during one attempted burglary to hear a conversation, Marraccini told Patch Tuesday.

The exhaustive investigation included the use of GPS tracking devices and a sound bug that allowed police to listen in as the suspects drove a Chevrolet Blazer into Harrison the night of their arrest, Marraccini said.

Police had placed the devices in the vehicle the previous Friday, and had about an hour to prepare as the suspects drove from Dutchess County to Harrison Wednesday night, Marraccini said. Police stopped the men near Interstate 287 Exit 10 at about 6:40 p.m.

Weeks before making the arrest, police began building a case against the three men who at the time were suspects in a burglary and attempted burglary in Harrison. Marraccini said police followed the men to seven different homes during the last two weeks. At the height of the investigation, Marraccini said as many as 16 surveillance cars were following the three suspects.

Marraccini said police had reason to believe the men were armed when the suspects were arrested last week. Police later found a loaded handgun hidden in the vehicle inside a bag containing gloves, ski masks and other burglar's tools, Marraccini said. The loaded weapon was reported stolen in Dutchess County, near the suspects' homes. Marraccini said the gun was stolen from a member of the Putnam County Sheriff's department.

Marraccini said he is confident the three men had plans to burglarize a home in Harrison or Rye Wednesday night. After weeks following the suspects, the decision was made Wednesday night to make an arrest.

"We were gathering evidence, we were confident in what they were doing and where they were going," Marraccini said. "At that time, because of the listening device, we were able to gather enough information and intelligence to substantiate a charge."

During the investigation Harrison Police devoted an entire room to the case. Surveillance photos, maps and descriptions of the suspects cover the room's walls. Several photos were taken outside the suspect's homes, as they appear to be entering the Chevrolet together in the dark.

Officers also followed the three men to other homes across the region, Marraccini said, adding that the three were very selective about what they were doing and often backed out if something didn't feel right.

During the burglary attempts, Marraccini said Dibiase served as the driver while Stanzione was the "brains behind the operation" and entered the homes.

Federal investigators believe Dibiase, Stanzione and Foskey had been working together for more than a year and are suspects in burglaries across the Tri-State area. Dibiase and Stanzione are brothers through adoption and both have extensive criminal records, Marraccini said. The two lived together in Poughquag.

Foskey is engaged to Dibiase's sister and lived with her in Stormville.

Patch editor Justin Reynolds contributed to this report.