He just happened to be moving some uncataloged stuff to a secure location? Why would someone do this, unless he was concerned about them being stolen.
And lo and behold, he leaves them in his kitchen, in plain sight.
And lo and behold, someone steals them while they are there.
Something stinks here, and I don't think Nicosia is uninvolved.
You're exactly right, Nicosia's story is very fishy, and it is very convenient that now the story is beginning to hit the news, files disappear.