The Vermont state trooper, who earns $95,000 per year, has been placed on paid vacation while investigators investigate whether he was responsible for some missing valuables that were discovered in a temporary evidence storage area last month.
According to the Vermont State Police’s news release, Trooper Giancarlo diGenova (44) was put on “paid relief from duty status” on December 19. On November 22, a suspect was arrested by the VSP Narcotics Unit and some of his valuables were seized. The suspect’s valuables included a Rolex watch in gold, stud earrings, and Apple AirPods. Keys and a wallet were also taken. They were placed at Williston Barracks just east of Burlington. These items were later found to be missing.
DiGenova has been with VSP since 2009. He was assigned to the Williston Barracks as well as the Middlesex and Bradford barracks. He was also part of the Narcotics Investigation Unit.
DiGenova was not charged with any crime as of the time this article was written. A search warrant and documents from the Chittenden County Superior Criminal Court obtained by Mike Donoghue, a freelance journalist, indicate that DiGenova was the subject of intense investigation.
Ben Katz, DiGenova’s colleague reported that DiGenova had shown him a watch that matched the description of the missing watch. Katz was told by DiGenova that he bought the fake Rolex online for $700 to $800.
A search of DiGenova’s police car revealed a Burlington business card. The jeweler claimed that DiGenova was the uniformed male who came into the store to ask for an appraisal of a watch that had been seized during an investigation. The man was told by the jeweler that the watch was approximately $14,000, but that it would be more if the original box and documentation were available.
DiGenova said that he bought a watch from his cousin, who lives four hours away. DiGenova stated that he was looking for a watch to gift his son as either a Christmas present or a birthday gift. He said that he was shocked to discover that the watch he bought from his cousin was fake and that he returned it. Although he had no receipt and no messages from his cousin to confirm his story, his cousin confirmed the watch story to the police.
David Sleigh, DiGenova’s lawyer, described the purchase of the watch as an “innocent coincidence”.
Sleigh stated in an email that the suspicion of Giancarlo was based solely on innocent coincidence. He had a watch, and VSP lost it. “Numerous other people had access to the property storage which, unlike the evidence lock, has not been subject to strict security measures.
Although “numerous others” may have had access to the evidence area, the affidavit indicated that DiGenova had accessed it “multiple times” after the valuables were placed there but before they were discovered missing. According to the New York Post, a pair of “possible earrings in diamond” was also found at DiGenova’s house.
According to the affidavit, DiGenova was awarded in 2019 for outstanding collaborative investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Vermont. He is accused of grand larceny and selling of stolen property.
