$750,000 Recovered In Ones, Fives, Tens . . .

It took about seven hours Sunday night for East Hampton Village police to count and double-count $750,000 in cash allegedly stolen from the house of an elderly East Hampton man while he lay seriously ill in a New York City hospital.

Michael J. Sorace of Montauk Highway, East Hampton, 29, had been arrested in connection with the incident earlier that day.

The money taken from the Montauk Highway residence of Saul Mauriber, 84, was in bills of denominations from $1 to $100. The bills were in stacks of $1,000, each stack neatly wrapped in tinfoil and placed in a locked metal box. There were 10 boxes altogether, police said. A single key opened all of them.

Several pieces of jewelry were found inside one of the boxes as well.

Jewelry, Too

"I've never seen so much money," said Det. Gerard Larsen.

Lieut. Randall Sarris said the jewelry had not yet been appraised but "looks super expensive" and might be worth almost as much as the cash.

The alleged theft was discovered on Saturday by three friends of Mr. Mauriber's, according to police. Doris Theiler of Manhattan and Harold Levine of the Bronx, who have power of attorney over his estate, and Lester Kushner of the Bronx discovered the money boxes missing.

They "searched the entire house" to no avail, said Lieutenant Sarris, and called police the next morning.

"For Safekeeping"

Mr. Sorace, described as a companion who had lived in the house for the past eight months, was not there on Saturday or on Sunday morning. When he returned Sunday afternoon, police questioned him.

Lieutenant Sarris said Mr. Sorace at first denied taking the money but eventually told police he had removed it "for safekeeping." He brought police to his grandmother's house in Farmingdale, where they retrieved $750,923.25 in currency and about a dozen pieces of jewelry including diamond rings and brace lets.

Police believe Mr. Sorace took the money to Farmingdale on Feb. 15, some time after Mr. Mauriber, who is suffering from a brain tumor, entered the hospital. He has been in and out of consciousness since, police said, and underwent surgery at one point.

Mr. Sorace, said to be a partner in an antiques refinishing business in Southampton, told police doctors did not believe Mr. Mauriber would survive much longer.

Real Estate Investor

Mr. Levine, who signed an affidavit related to the charge against Mr. Sorace, grand larceny, told police he had talked to Mr. Mauriber while he was awake on Saturday and had been told that no one had permission to take anything from the house.

Mr. Mauriber had invested in real estate over the years "and apparently was very successful at it," said Lieutenant Sarris.

The $750,000 may have just been "petty cash," Lieutenant Sarris said. Mr. Mauriber's friends have hired a security company to watch the house in addition to its alarm system, police noted. According to their wishes Mr. Sorace is no longer allowed in the house.

Bail Set Low

Mr. Sorace was charged Sunday with second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony. At his arraignment the next morning, according to police, the District Attorney's office recommended that bail be set at $100,000.

East Hampton Town Justice Roger W. Walker set bail instead at $1,000, and Mr. Sorace was released with a court date of March 26. Bail is meant to insure that a defendant shows up in court.

Village police, meanwhile, were holding the recovered money and jewelry this week. Lieutenant Sarris said he was looking for a more appropriate place to safeguard it while awaiting the District Attorney's permission to turn it over to those who hold legitimate power of attorney.