2 Arrested, Millions Recovered in Theft at Armored Truck Firm

The $8.2-million robbery of an armored truck company apparently was solved Wednesday when almost all of the cash was found in a closet and two men were arrested, authorities said.

The money, in $100 bills, had been taken in a Dec. 27 robbery at the Hudson Armored Car Co. with the help of a guard on duty, said James M. Fox, head of the FBI’s New York office.

“This is what $8 million in cash looks like,” Fox said, pointing at stacks of packages containing the money. The money, which weighed slightly more than 100 pounds, was recovered in five unopened packages from a Brooklyn apartment.

The four burglars could not get rid of the cash because the bills were sequentially numbered and could be easily traced, Fox said. Each apparently did spend about $60,000 in cash that was not sequentially numbered. An additional $40,000 in checks was burned.

Arrested were Robert Serrano, 28, of Brooklyn and Joseph James Santiago, 24, of Bethpage, who authorities allege drove the getaway car.

Serrano’s brother, Juan Jose Serrano, 34, of Brooklyn, was the guard on duty the night of the burglary and was being sought, Fox said. He said Raymond Malave, 20, of Kissimmee, Fla., was expected to surrender.

The arrested men face federal bank larceny charges, Fox said.

Fox said the FBI knew it was an inside job because the burglars got in so easily, bypassed alarms and got out smoothly.