Ponus Ridge invaders nabbed by special task force

Three New York men have been arrested on federal charges of conspiracy, robbery and weapons violations in association with the burglary of a Ponus Ridge Road home in August, and may face similar charges for scores of other burglaries and thefts in the New York metropolitan area, according to the U.S. Attorney's office of Southern New York.

Paul DiBiase, 57, and Daniel DiBiase, 55, of Poughquag, N.Y., and Jason Foskey, 34, of Stormville, N.Y., were brought into custody by police in Harrison, N.Y., on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

The men had been under observation for more than a month by a special task force of local police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. One of the suspects, Daniel DiBiase, was shot by a Harrison police officer during their apprehension.

Harrison police made a planned stop of the suspects' black Chevy TrailBlazer at about 6:40 p.m. as it exited Interstate 287 eastbound onto Westchester Avenue. During the stop, two shots were fired, one of them hitting Daniel DiBiase, who was transported to and admitted into Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., according to a press release from the Harrison Police Department.

Paul DiBiase and Foskey were taken to Harrison police headquarters and held without bond, according to Harrison Police Lt. Edward Lucas.

They were wanted in connection with a Sept. 3 burglary in Harrison in which $500,000 in jewelry was stolen and an attempted burglary of another residence in Harrison.

The actions, methods and details of the Ponus Ridge Road burglary was written in a report by Special Agent Brendan Kenney of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the report, one of the residents (who is called Witness-2) at the Ponus Ridge Road residence saw two masked intruders in his house on the evening of Aug. 4. These men were Paul DiBiase and Jason Foskey, according to the report. Daniel DiBiase acted as the group's getaway driver.

"After a physical struggle, the men put Witness-2 face down on the floor, tied Witness-2's hands, and put the barrel of what felt like a gun to the back of Witness-2's head," according to the report.

The intruders then asked where the jewelry and safe were, the report continues.

"The men forced Witness-2 to show them a safe, which was located upstairs," the report states. "At some point, the man guarding Witness-2 said, in sum and substance, `it's the police,' and ran out of the room in which Witness-2 was being held. A short time later, the New Canaan police entered the New Canaan Residence."

The report continues, "While Foskey and Paul DiBiase were in the home, the police arrived, whereupon Foskey and DiBiase ran out of the home through a back door and became separated."

According to the report, that happened at about 10 p.m. About $14,000 in silverware and $200 in cash were taken, according to New Canaan police.

In a rushed exit, Foskey was left behind and only the DiBiase brothers fled in the getaway car.

The black Chevy TrailBlazer was spotted leaving the area by another witness, who happened to be driving down Ponus Ridge Road and noticed the police activity, according to the report.

"Foskey spent the night outside in the area of the New Canaan Residence, and discarded the mask he had worn during the robbery." In the morning, Foskey made a phone call and the other two picked him up, according to the report of his interview with Kenney.

That morning, the resident of the Ponus Ridge Road house saw a man dressed in all black "appear to duck into bushes to avoid being seen," the report said.

Foskey said in an interview with Kenney that the group committed numerous robberies in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, that Daniel DiBiase was the getaway driver, and that they carried real guns on some of the trips and replica ones on all trips, according to the report.

A police search of the DiBiase home turned up jewelry, BB guns, $21,000 in cash and a safe, and a search of the Foskey residence found ski masks, a handgun and $57,000 in cash.

In the car at the time of arrest was a Glock 27 .40-caliber handgun. It had been reported stolen in 2011 following a burglary of a Harrison Police Department officer's home, which is near Foskey's residence, according to the report.

According to Westchester Assistant District Attorney Steven Vandervelden, the pair was caught in a 1989 burglary of a New Jersey home, for which Paul DiBiase spent nearly 20 years in prison, being released in 2009. Daniel DiBiase was sentenced to seven years in prison for the same crime, though he spent only two years in jail.

Paul DiBiase also goes by the name Carmine Stanzione. It is remains unclear, but he may have been adopted by the DiBiase family and took on that name, according to Vandervelden.

"It's a good question. He has both names, and I'm not sure which is which. One is his birth name and one is his adopted name," Vandervelden said in an interview.

twoods@bcnnew.com; 203-972-4413; @Woods_NCNews