When four men were charged this week in the brazen armed robberies of two Manhattan jewelers, their ages suggested it might not be their first encounter with the criminal justice system. Among them, according to officials and court documents, the men have ties to the Genovese, Lucchese and Kansas City, Mo., crime families; a history of bank robberies, racketeering and killings; and a jailbreak reminiscent of a Hollywood movie. The defendants are Vincent Cerchio, 69; Michael Sellick, 67; Frank DiPietro, 65; and Vincent Spagnuolo, 65. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York charged the four with stealing $2 million in diamonds and other gems at gunpoint while dressed as construction workers to blend in on busy streets. A fifth man, Samuel Sorce, 25, of Florham Park, N.J., is charged with being a getaway driver in one of the heists.

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Persons: Genovese, Vincent Cerchio, Michael Sellick, Frank DiPietro, Vincent Spagnuolo, Samuel Sorce Organizations: Lucchese, Kansas, Southern, of Locations: Manhattan, Kansas City, Mo, U.S, of New York, Florham Park, N.J