An ex-Vermont state trooper was charged with allegedly swiping a Rolex watch, ADHD pills and other valuables while he was on the job before a fellow officer reported him to their bosses, authorities said Monday.
Giancarlo DiGenova, who resigned from his post in February, is accused of stealing the pricey watch – valued at $14,000 – and other swanky items totaling $40,000 from an evidence storage room in late November, according to state police.
The 44-year-old Essex resident allegedly snatched diamond stud earrings, a designer brand wallet and keychain, Apple AirPods on top of the Rolex. The items were stolen the same day DiGenova had access to the storage room, authorities said.
The Rolex was recovered at the home of a relative of DiGenova in Massachusetts, but the other items are still unaccounted for, police said.
During the probe, which was launched last December, other alleged thefts were uncovered by investigators.
DiGenova took a bag of seized cell phones in June 2021 from a storage area, and then tried to sell two of the phones at an automated kiosk at University Mall in South Burlington, state police alleged.
One of the sales was a success, and DiGenova allegedly marked the cellphones as “destroyed” while in the property of state police, police said.
And in May 2022, after DiGenova took possession of several bottles of medications used by a juvenile in a home that he responded to, he then allegedly stole several of the pills, according to state police.
State police only began investigating him when another trooper who knew about the missing watch and other items from November reported that DiGenova had shown him a Rolex he claimed to have bought online.
Vermont State Police Director Col. Matthew Birmingham said in a statement DiGenova’s alleged actions represent “an extraordinary betrayal of the public’s trust.”
“I know all Vermonters are angered and disappointed,” he stated. “So am I. Your outrage is appropriate. But I also want you to know that the system worked as well as it can when someone is determined to commit crimes by abusing their power and trust.”
DiGenova is facing a laundry list of criminal charges, including grand larceny, two counts of petit larceny, four counts of neglect of duty, sale of stolen property and fraud or deceit.
He was with the state police force since 2009 and suspended in December before stepping down last month.
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