New Rochelle Thanksgiving Parade Sponsor Stole Dead Cop’s Badge

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (November 21, 2025) — Rob Rubicco, the sponsor of tomorrow’s Thanksgiving Parade in New Rochelle, was previously arrested after he attempted to pass himself off as a deceased police sergeant at a Jersey Shore bar using the officer’s gold shield which he stole from a memorial plaque on the wall of a Westchester police station.

Also in his possession was a fabricated police identification card and an altered stolen New York State driver’s license that Rubicco had fraudulently renewed by impersonating the victim and substituting his own photo via the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Rubicco’s criminal history also includes a 2011 federal conviction for accessing a computer without authorization and obtaining confidential information, resulting in a misdemeanor plea, four months of home confinement, and $10,240 in restitution. He violated probation in 2013 due to attempting to influence drug test results and substance abuse history (cocaine), leading to a 21-day sentence to federal prison and one year of supervised release. The case concluded in 2017 after Rubicco made restitution.

Additionally, Rubicco was arrested in 2010 in Eastchester, NY after posing as a New York City Assistant District Attorney. He was charged with bribing a witness, reduced to tampering with a witness, and sentenced to three years probation.

He or his companies have been named in at least 10 civil lawsuits for unpaid loans, contractual disputes and debt collection, with judgments and liens over $1 million, some currently pending in Westchester, Nassau and New York City courts, according to the Rye Record.

The New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce 2025 Thanksgiving Parade is sponsored by The Treehouse Play Place, a company owned by Rob Rubicco. Rubicco serves as chief business officer at Anna and Jack’s Treehouse, a preschool with three locations in Westchester launched in 2013. He is also vice president of Pelham’s Chamber of Commerce and co-founder and CEO of Treehouse Capital Partners.

Rubicco, co-owner of Anna and Jack’s Treehouse with his wife Christina, admitted to stealing the gold police shield No. 111 from the memorial plaque for Sgt. Donna Stipo around March 2002, according to records from the North Castle Police Department.

Stipo, who passed in 1991 at age 36, after battling cancer, was a member of the Police Benevolent Association for the Town of North Castle and served on the PBA committee during arbitration hearings in 1984–1985. She was the daughter of former North Castle police chief Albert Stipo.

Rubicco told investigators he stole the gold shield because he had “always been fascinated with police work and hope one day to be a police officer”.

The theft left scratches and impressions on a plaque honoring Sergeant Stipo at police headquarters on Bedford Road in Armonk.

The incident came to light after Rubicco dropped his wallet containing Stipo’s gold shield and two fake IDs during a July 5, 2002, altercation at Club Temptations in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

Seaside Heights P.D. reports an incident occurring in their jurisdiction involving a party who identified himself as a North Castle Police sergeant. Said party was involved in an altercation in a bar and when questioned by responding officers, he produced a gold sergeant’s shield and a North Castle Police identification card. RO reports receiving a copy of the NY identification card bearing

the name Mark ——.

Mark —— told a North Castle police officer the photo on the New York drivers license with his name was not him. He stated his wallet was stolen in 1996 while he was in Peekskill, that his license and several credit cards were taken at that time. Rubicco admitted to police taking the stolen drivers license to the Department of Motor Vehicles and renewing the license with a photo of himself. Rubicco did not explain the North Castle Police identification card.

Seaside Heights police seized the items, contacted North Castle PD, and returned the gold shield.

Rubicco was interviewed by North Castle police on July 22, 2002, acknowledged Miranda warnings, gave a statement admitting the theft, and was arrested later that day. He was charged with petit larceny and criminal mischief in the fourth degree, both Class A misdemeanors, and pleaded guilty.

A sponsor alert from the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce encourages parade attendees to “look for The Treehouse Play Place float and give them a huge cheer, with a shoutout and thanks for their support of the Thanksgiving Parade and all they do for the community.”

UPDATE: Rob Rubicco has changed his story. In a Facebook comment he now claims he stole a deceased officer’s Gold Shield mounted on a a plaque honoring a North Castle police officer who died of cancer as some sort of fraternity prank. Except he told police prior to his arrest that he was a waiter, that his highest level education was high school and as of today his LinkedIN profile does not list any post-secondary education.

So, what fraternity would that have been?

Rubicco’s comment on stealing the badge reads as follows:

“In 2002 during a scavenger hunt we needed to complete for a fraternity, one of the items we needed was a badge, which I kept. Very stupid decision made by the 19 year old version of me.”

He then shifted the focus self-aggrandizement and promoting his day care business.

Unfortunately for Rubicco he gave North Castle police a voluntary statement which flatly contradicts his Facebook comment.

Rubicco’s history of fraud, probation violations, and impersonation (including posing as a deceased North Castle police officer, a New York City Assistant District Attorney and a crime victim) paints a broader picture of repeated poor judgment. His claim of reform after “shock probation” in 2013 contrasts with ongoing civil lawsuits against him and his businesses, totaling over $1 million in judgments and liens for unpaid debts and contractual disputes.

The badge was discovered in his possession during a 2002 altercation in New Jersey. At the time, he was also found with a fabricated police identification card and an altered stolen driver’s license, leading to charges of petit larceny and criminal mischief.

Rubicco’s casual recounting of the theft as part of a “fraternity scavenger hunt” minimizes the disrespect shown to Sgt. Stipo’s memory and the seriousness of impersonating a law enforcement officer

Rubicco’s response reveals him not just as a liar and fraud, but as delusional, appearing to exhibit signs of narcissistic personality disorder. By admitting the crime only to immediately pivot to self-aggrandizement and business promotion, he demonstrates a lack of genuine accountability, prioritizing his image over the harm he caused. This update further underscores concerns about his suitability as a community leader and sponsor of family-oriented events like the New Rochelle Thanksgiving Parade, especially given his role in operating child care centers.

I would encourage readers to the details of Rubicco’s criminal record and business dealings in the links below.

RELATED:

Nightmare on the Isle of Sans Souci: Part II – Who is Rob Rubicco?

Nightmare on the Isle of Sans Souci: Part III — What is Anna & Jack’s Treehouse

Rob Rubicco, Major Rye Democratic Donor, Has Federal Fraud Conviction, Long Trail of Lawsuits

This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.