CORNWALL, Conn. — A second arrest has been made in a heist at a Cornwall residence, where many valuable and vintage treasures were stolen and attempted to be auctioned off.
Anthony Buonaiuto, 39, was arrested Thursday and charged with burglary and larceny of property worth more than $20,000.
Buonaiuto is accused of working with Jessica Thompson, who was arrested last month, to break into the Cornwall home in September 2023.
The homeowner told investigators that he had only two contractors coming to the home while being away since that August. One of them came by to find the ransacked home and the back door open, the homeowner told investigators.
According to the homeowner, items stolen from the home included Japanese, Indonesian, pre-Columbian, and Native American masks, pots, chests and art. A stack of vintage MAD magazines from the 60s and 70s were also taken, as well as electronic appliances and tools, according to the arrest warrant. The homeowner estimated that these stolen items were valued between $50,000 and $100,000, investigators said.
The two suspects corresponded with auction groups to have the stolen items appraised and sold, according to the arrest warrants. Investigators found that some of the money was wired into a bank account belonging to Buonaiuto.
Buonaiuto and Thompson claimed they found the items at an estate sale, according to the arrest warrants.
State police found an energy drink can in one of the rooms, which did not belong to any of the contractors, the homeowner told investigators. Investigators collected the energy drink as evidence; both Buonaluto and Thompson's DNA were found on it after testing, the arrest warrants state.
Buonaiuto appeared in court Thursday and was released back into Dept. of Correction custody.
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