District of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont  announced that last month the final defendants convicted in connection with a Chittenden County drug distribution conspiracy, were sentenced in United States District Court for the District of Vermont.

According to court records, from October 2022 through December 30, 2022, Christopher Purvis was the manager of a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl in Burlington, and elsewhere around Chittenden County. The conspiracy used a residence belonging to Tyler Orvis in Milton, Vermont to store drug packaging materials. As part of the investigation into the operation, on December 6, 2022, in Jericho, Vermont, law enforcement seized fentanyl, cocaine, and a firearm from Russell Mitchell, Alexis Sutton, and Dorothy Wilde. Records also indicate Sierra Fuentes sold drugs and transported proceeds in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss imposed the following sentences, which were advised by the United States Sentencing Guidelines:

• Christopher Purvis – 72 months followed by 5 years of supervised release;
• Russell Mitchell – 54 months followed by 3 years of supervised release (later commuted to 20 months by executive order);
• Tyler Orvis – Time Served (approximately 24 months) followed by 6 years of supervised release;
• Dorothy Wilde – Time Served (approximately 8 months) followed by 3 years of supervised release; and
• Alexis Sutton – 6 months followed by 6 years of supervised release.

United States District Judge Mae D’Agostino imposed the following sentence, which was advised by the United States Sentencing Guidelines:

• Sierra Fuentes – Time Served (approximately 14 months) followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher thanked the DEA Burlington, Vermont Office, and acknowledged significant assistance from the Milton Police Department, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, the Morristown Police Department, the DEA Hartford, Connecticut Office, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Bureau of Prisons.

Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Stendig handled the case for the Government. Mark Kaplan, Esq. represented Tyler Orvis, Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels represented Christopher Purvis, Richard Bothfeld, Esq. represented Alexis Sutton, John Mabie, Esq. represented Dorothy Wilde, and William A. Vasiliou, II, Esq. represented Sierra Fuentes.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 20, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the following 25 Canadian nationals with participation in a “Grandparent Scam” that defrauded elderly individuals in Vermont and more than 40 other states:

Gareth West, a.k.a. “Buddy” and “Muscles,” (38 – Burlington, Ontario)
Usman Khalid, a.k.a. “Paul” and “Pauly,” (36 – Les Coteaux, Québec)
Andrew Tatto, a.k.a. “Chevy” and “Truck,” (43 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
Stephan Moskwyn, a.k.a. “HK,” (42 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
Ricky Ylimaki, a.k.a. “Ruffles,” (31 – Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Québec)
Richard Frischman, a.k.a. “Styx,” (31 – Montréal, Québec)
Adam Lawrence, a.k.a. “Carter,” (41 – Lasalle, Québec)
Michael Filion, a.k.a. “Elvis,” (45 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
Jimmy Ylimaki, a.k.a. “Coop,” (35 – Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Québec)
Nicolas Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Brady,” (27 – Kirkland, Québec)
Ryan Melanson, a.k.a. “Parker,” (27 – Montréal, Québec)
Joy Kalafatidis, a.k.a. “Blondie,” (31 – Pointe-Claire, Québec)
David Arcobelli, a.k.a. “Phil,” (36 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
Jonathan Massouras, a.k.a. “Borze,” (35 - Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Québec)
Nicholas Shiomi, a.k.a. “Keanu,” (42 – Montréal, Québec)
Antonio Iannacci, a.k.a. “DJ,” (33 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
Jonathan Ouellet, a.k.a. “Sunny,” (29 - Saint-Eustache, Québec)
Kassey-Lee Lankford, a.k.a. “Lex,” (28 – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec)
Sara Burns, a.k.a. “Ginger,” (31 – Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Québec)
Justin Polenz, a.k.a. “Happy,” (34 – Montréal, Québec)
Ryan Thibert, a.k.a. “Toast,” (37 – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec)
Michael Farella, a.k.a. “Honda,” (29 - Sainte-Geneviève, Québec)
Sebastian Guenole, a.k.a. “Tweeter,” (30 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
Ryan Bridgman, a.k.a. “Clint,” (37 - Deux-Montagnes, Québec)
Stephanie-Marie Samaras, a.k.a. “North” (29 – Laval, Québec)

All but two of the above-named individuals were arrested in Canada on March 4, 2025. West and Jimmy Ylimaki remain at large.

According to the Indictment, which was unsealed on March 4, 2025, between the summer of 2021 and June 4, 2024, the defendants engaged in a “Grandparent Scam” involving phone calls made from call centers in and around Montreal, Québec. During these phone calls, defendants falsely claimed to be an elderly victim’s relative, typically a grandchild, who had been arrested following a car crash and needed money for “bail.” Other defendants posed as an “attorney” representing the elderly victim’s relative. Elderly victims were often told that there was a “gag order” in place to prevent the elderly victim from telling anyone about their family member’s supposed arrest. Elderly victims were convinced to provide bail money to an individual falsely posing as a bail bondsman, who would come to the elderly victim’s home to collect the money. This money was later transmitted to Canada following cash deliveries and financial transactions, sometimes involving cryptocurrency, which, the Indictment alleges, obscured the source of the money and the identities of defendants.

On June 4, 2024, when law enforcement in Canada executed search warrants at several call centers, many of the defendants were found in the act of placing phone calls to elderly victims in Virginia. The Indictment alleges the call centers were managed by West, Khalid, Tatto, Moskwyn, and Ricky Ylimaki, and also charges these five defendants with conspiring to commit money laundering. The conspiracy defrauded elderly Americans out of more than $21 million.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. West, Khalid, Tatto, Moskwyn and Ricky Ylimaki face up to 40 years of imprisonment if convicted, and the remaining defendants face up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

An additional nine individuals have previously been charged in the District of Vermont in connection with this grandparent scam, including Otmane Khalladi (32 – Miami, Florida), Jean Richard Audate (39 – New York, New York), Philippe Alvarez (34 – Montréal, Québec), Paul Conneh (37 – Guangzhou, China), Dave Leblanc (37 – Greenacres, Florida), Zavier Buchanan (27 – Wellington, Florida), William Comfort (29 – Los Angeles, California), Alejandro Garcia (34 – Miami, Florida), and Enmanuel Castillo (31 – Miami, Florida).

“While the transnational criminal conspiracy described in the Indictment preyed on vulnerable victims throughout the United States, these charges are the result of painstaking investigatory work by Vermont-based agents from Homeland Security Investigations, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation,” observed Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher. “In addition, we recognize the extensive investigative assistance provided by Sûreté du Québec and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.” Drescher also stressed the contributions of numerous other local, state, and federal investigators and agencies across the United States who assisted the investigation, and commended the contributions of the United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs as well as the International Assistance Group at Justice Canada.

“These individuals are accused of an elaborate scheme using fear to extort millions of dollars from victims who believed they were helping loved ones in trouble. Today’s arrests are the result of domestic collaboration as well as our critical international partnerships with our colleagues in Canada, Sûreté du Québec and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Tackling transnational crime is one of our greatest priorities and we’re working hand-in-hand with our neighbors to dismantle organized criminal groups that threaten our safety and security,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England.

“Today’s arrests demonstrate IRS-CI’s commitment to protecting the American people from bad actors, no matter where they are hiding.” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “West and his associates led a transnational criminal enterprise with the sole intent of defrauding hundreds of retirees of their life savings by preying on their emotions and deceiving them into thinking that their loved ones were in peril. IRS-CI is committed to continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners, both at home and abroad, to stop and deter anyone who seeks to profit off the hard work of U.S. citizens.”

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Nate Burris and Michelle Arra.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-FRAUD-11). This hotline is a free resource created by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime for people to report fraud against anyone age 60 or older.

A link to the Indictment can be found here.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 20, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Theodore Bland, 29, of Stowe, Vermont, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, possession of cocaine base and fentanyl with intent to distribute, using and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, discharging that firearm during the commission of the offense, and through his use and carrying of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime causing the deaths of Jahim Solomon and Eric White in circumstances that constitute murder under federal law.

Bland’s arraignment on the new charges will occur on a date to be determined by the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. Bland is currently detained pending trial on charges included in the original indictment in the case.

According to court records, on October 12, 2023, Bland used, carried, and discharged a firearm, in relation to his drug trafficking activities. Also according to court records, Bland’s October 12 firearm discharges caused the deaths of Jahim Solomon and Eric White. Bland used social media messaging to communicate with his co-conspirators regarding, among other topics, the procurement of controlled substances for distribution, the pricing of controlled substances for sale to drug customers, and the distribution of controlled substances to drug customers. Bland also used social media messaging to communicate with his co-conspirators following the homicides of Solomon and White on October 12, 2023, including communications about his attempts to conceal the homicides. Court documents also state that Bland induced others to help him move the bodies of Solomon and White to two wooded areas in Eden, Vermont, where the bodies were discovered by law enforcement on October 24 and 25, 2023.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Bland is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted of the new charges in the superseding indictment, there is a possibility the federal death penalty could apply. The United States has not yet reached a decision whether it will pursue the death penalty against Bland. If convicted of the new charges Bland also faces a potential prison term of up to life. Any prison sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Morristown Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Turner and Paul Van de Graaf. Bland is represented by David Sleigh, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on February 18, 2025, Loren Senna, III, age 41, of Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Senna previously pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

According to court records, on March 19, 2021, Senna leaned out of the driver’s side window of the Jeep he was driving and fired multiple rounds from a semi-automatic rifle-style handgun while chasing another vehicle through a densely populated area of the Old North End in Burlington, Vermont. Although fired bullets went into multiple residences, and although pedestrians were present at the time of the shooting, no one was injured. Senna then sped through Burlington, briefly tried to hide in a parking lot, and crashed into an occupied Burlington Police Department cruiser with his Jeep while escaping the parking lot. He subsequently abandoned the Jeep and ran away on foot, throwing the semi-automatic handgun and a loaded pistol into an empty railcar. A short time later, Senna was pulled over in South Burlington, Vermont, driving a truck that belonged to a friend. In the truck were over 200 grams of cocaine base, over 20 grams of cocaine, and over 4 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture. Within a blue backpack on the floor on the passenger side was another loaded pistol. On Senna’s person was $5,812 in cash and a 9-millimeter bullet.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher stated “The defendant’s shooting and subsequent flight from law enforcement the evening of March 19, 2021, were shocking and extraordinarily dangerous. I commend our law enforcement partners for their bravery, and their quick, collaborative, focused investigative work that night to apprehend the shooter without injury to the public, the officers involved, or to the defendant.” Specifically, the Acting United States Attorney thanked the Burlington Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the South Burlington Police Department for their contributions to this case.

“From dispatch to patrol, to detectives, to our identification unit, dozens of BPD employees took part in this elaborate case, to say nothing of our partners at the South Burlington police department and in federal law enforcement,” said Burlington Chief of Police Jon Murad. “Given the volume of gunfire, the intentional collision with a cop, and the span of the multiple crime scenes—a shooting scene, a vehicle crash, discarded evidence, a traffic stop—it’s nothing short of a miracle that no one was shot or seriously injured. I’m tremendously grateful to the US Attorney’s office, particularly AUSA Cate, for prosecuting this case and winning the kind of just, effective sentence that ensures the defendant won’t put the public at risk again for a long, long time.”

“The reckless actions of Loren Senna, who fired a weapon from a moving vehicle in a residential neighborhood, posed a serious threat to public safety,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division. “This case highlights the dangers posed by armed felons and drug traffickers that underscores the importance of aggressive enforcement measures to keep our communities safe. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold violent offenders accountable.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole P. Cate and Zachary B. Stendig. Senna was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Rutland, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that yesterday, Tyler Hayes, 42, of Bennington, Vermont, was convicted of two charges stemming from his unlawful possession of a homemade bomb, following a jury trial in U.S. District Court in Rutland. U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante ordered that Hayes remain in jail pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Hayes has been held in custody since his arrest on January 19, 2024.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, a bomb was discovered in Hayes’s former Bennington residence days after he abandoned the property in February of 2023. The property manager contacted law enforcement, who defused the bomb. Witnesses at trial described how Hayes had been discussing and constructing bombs for months, and had offered to trade a bomb for fentanyl. Other witnesses described Hayes making admissions after the bomb was discovered, including that he was “on the run” after a bomb had been found at his residence. An explosives expert from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives testified that, although the homemade bomb was rudimentary and simplistic (constructed from a combination of a pipe bomb and flammable liquids stored in plastic water bottles), it was nonetheless capable of causing substantial destruction and injury had it been detonated.

The jury convicted Hayes of possessing an unregistered destructive device, in violation of the National Firearms Act (“NFA”), and of possessing a destructive device while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance, in violation of the Gun Control Act (“GCA”). Hayes faces up to 10 years in prison on the NFA violation, and up to 15 years on the GCA violation. The actual sentence will be determined by the judge with reference to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

“Yesterday’s guilty verdict in Rutland reflects not only the investigative skill of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations, but also the work of an extraordinary team of prosecutors and support staff from this office,” stated Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher. “The superb organization and presentation of evidence at trial demonstrated not only that Hayes was guilty of the crimes charged beyond a reasonable doubt, but also the extreme danger he presented to the community.” Drescher also thanked the Vermont State Police, whose Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit disabled the bomb, as well as the Bennington Police Department for their assistance in the case.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Corinne Smith and Nicole Cate. Hayes is represented by James Valente, Esq., and Chandler Matson, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that John Austin, 30, a Michigan native who recently has resided in South Burlington, Vermont, pleaded not guilty yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to a charge that he unlawfully possessed a pistol as a convicted felon. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle ordered that Austin be held without bail pending trial, which has not been scheduled. Austin is currently in the primary custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections awaiting trial on a 2023 aggravated assault charge stemming from a shootout in Burlington’s Old North End.

This past November, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment alleging that in April 2024, Austin possessed a semi-automatic pistol. Austin is prohibited from possessing firearms because he has multiple felony convictions in Michigan. According to court records, police officers in Burlington located a rental car that had been reported stolen. Inside, officers recovered a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol that had Austin’s fingerprints on it.

The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the indictment is merely an accusation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. If convicted, Austin faces up to 15 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

This case was investigated by the Burlington and South Burlington Police Departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Austin is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Juan Carlos Jacinto-Ramos, a citizen of Guatemala, and Qing Zhu, of China, have been charged by criminal complaint accusing Jacinto-Ramos with bringing three Chinese nationals into the  United States at a place other than an open port for entering the United States, and Zhu with entering the country illegally.

On February 10, 2025, the defendants appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Jacinto-Ramos be detained during the pendency of his prosecution. Judge Doyle also ordered that Zhu be detained during the pendency of his prosecution, and also because Zhu is a material witness against Jacinto-Ramos.

According to court records, during the early afternoon of February 9, United States Border Patrol agents observed fresh footprints in the snow indicating that one or more persons had recently travelled south across Ayers Hill Road, in Berkshire, Vermont, about a half mile from the U.S.-Canada border. Following the footprints, agents encountered Zhu (an adult male), and two other Chinese citizens, one an adult female, the other a 10-year-old child. All three were cold and wet, and appeared dehydrated. The area where they were located featured steep and heavily wooded terrain. The three were determined to be a family unit.

Agents also observed a fourth person running south from the location where they encountered the three Chinese nationals. Agents apprehended this individual, later confirmed to be Jacinto-Ramos, after following his footprints for about three hours in cold temperatures and deep snow. Jacinto-Ramos, Zhu, and the other two Chinese nationals were determined to have been in the United States illegally. Agents further determined that Jacinto-Ramos had guided Zhu and Zhu’s family across the border before abandoning them.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Jacinto-Ramos faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Zhu faces up to 6 months if convicted. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol agents involved in this matter.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Mathew Lasher. Jacinto-Ramos is represented by Jason Sawyer, Esq. Zhu is represented by Robert Behrens, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Mura Kvec, 39, Manix Razmias, 38, and Geto Kvec, 19, all citizens of Romania, pleaded guilty to a criminal complaint charging each of them with illegally entering the United States at a time or place other than designated for entering the country by immigration authorities.

According to court records, on February 10, 2025, at approximately 12:45 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol agents were notified of three individuals walking south on Lake Road in Newport Center, Vermont, a road that borders the United States and Canada. Minutes later, a Border Patrol Agent stopped a car with four individuals traveling south on Lake Road and conducted an immigration inspection. In response to the agent’s questions, the driver was determined to be a U.S. citizen. The other passengers, Mura Kvec, Manix Razmias and Geto Kvec, admitted to being citizens of Romania. None of them possessed the necessary documents that would allow them to stay or remain in the United States legally. Under further questioning, the United States Border Patrol determined the three Romanians had entered the United States at a place other than an open port of entry.

During their initial court appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on February 11, 2025, each of the three Romanians entered a guilty plea and received a time-served sentence. They had faced up to 6 months’ imprisonment.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.

The prosecutor was Assistant United States Attorney Greg Waples. Karen Shingler, Esq. represented Mura Kvec, Michael Straub, Esq. represented Manix Razmias, and the Office of the Federal Public Defender represented Geto Kvec.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Antonio Bayarri-Barrera, 35, a citizen of Spain, pleaded guilty to a criminal complaint charging him with illegally entering the United States at a time or place other than designated for entering the country by immigration authorities.

According to court records, on January 31, 2025, at approximately 2:52 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol agents were notified of a single individual walking south towards the United States-Canada international border near the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont. Minutes later, a Border Patrol Agent stopped the individual, who had crossed into United States, and conducted an immigration inspection. In response to the agent’s questions, Bayarri-Barrera admitted that he was a citizen of Spain and that he had just walked over the border near the library.

During his initial court appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on February 3, 2025, Bayarri-Barrera entered his guilty plea and received a time-served sentence. Bayarri-Barrera had faced up to 6 months’ imprisonment.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Bayarri-Barrera is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that during an arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on February 5, 2025, Alex Patin-Patin, 28, of Ecuador, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with being unlawfully present in the United States after having been previously removed by immigration officials. At a detention hearing held on February 6, 2025, Judge Doyle ordered that Patin-Patin be detained during the pendency of this matter.

According to court records, Patin-Patin unlawfully entered the United States in or around February 2022, and was then removed from the United States by federal authorities in or around July 2022. It is unknown where or when Patin-Patin re-entered the United States, but in April 2024 Patin-Patin was arrested in South Burlington, Vermont, and charged by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office with, among other charges, aggravated domestic assault. Because Patin-Patin had not obtained permission to re-enter the United States, his presence in the country was in violation of U.S. law.

The federal grand jury returned the indictment charging Patin-Patin with this offense in October 2024 and at that time a federal warrant for his arrest was issued. Court records indicate that Patin-Patin’s arrest earlier this week followed surveillance indicating he had been living at an address other than that required by conditions imposed on him by the Vermont Superior Court in connection with his state domestic assault prosecution.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Patin-Patin is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Patin-Patin faces up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement/ Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Marshals Service.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Lasher and Michelle Arra. Patin-Patin is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Madison Carrig, 30, of Whitehall, New York, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to four months of imprisonment following her guilty plea to charges of access device fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that Carrig pay restitution in the amount of $141,000 and serve three years of supervised release following completion of her prison term. The court ordered Carrig to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on March 18 to begin serving her sentence.

Last July, the United States Attorney filed an information charging Carrig with two counts of access device fraud. Carrig pleaded guilty to the information this past August. According to the information, beginning in September 2022 and continuing until February 2023, Carrig was employed as the office manager of two automobile dealerships located in central Vermont. In that capacity, Carrig supervised all accounting activities at both dealerships. Among other things, she had authority to sign checks, initiate wire transfers and make deposits to the dealerships’ bank account. She also possessed a company credit card and was authorized to use the credit card to make business-related purchases. Between February 2023 and November 27, 2023, Carrig was employed as the controller of a third Vermont automobile dealership, in Rutland. She had authority to sign checks, initiate wire transfers and make deposits to the dealership’s bank account. She also possessed a company credit card and was authorized to use the credit card to make business-related purchases.

In the course of her employment, Carrig defrauded the three dealerships of approximately $140,000. She did this by embezzling cash receipts received from customers of the dealerships. She also misused company credit cards to purchase goods and services for her own use and benefit.

This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police.

Carrig is represented by Natasha Sen, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 3, 2025, Nitin Mishra, 33, of Jaipur, India, was sentenced for conspiring to distribute controlled substances and distributing controlled substances, including the opioids Tapentadol and Tramadol, in connection with his involvement in an international drug trafficking operation. Mishra had been extradited from Albania to the United States to face these charges. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III sentenced Mishra, who had already spent approximately 28 months in custody, to time served and ordered the defendant to pay $7,300 in forfeiture.

According to court records, from around the beginning of 2019 through about June 2021, Mishra, who was based in India, conspired with two Vermont residents, among other individuals, to send multiple shipments of controlled substances, including opioids and misbranded drugs, into the United States. Mishra then worked with his co-conspirators to reship and distribute these drugs to individuals located throughout the United States. The investigation revealed that the conspiracy involved tens of thousands of pills, and included the Schedule II controlled substance Tapentadol, as well as the Schedule IV controlled substances, Tramadol, Carisoprodol, and Zolpidem.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Rutland City Police Department.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Mishra is represented by Robert L. Sussman, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 3, 2025, Jeremy Brown, 55, of Simi Valley, California, was sentenced for introducing into interstate commerce new drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) with the intent to defraud or mislead. The Honorable Christina Reiss, Chief United States District Judge, sentenced the defendant to one year of supervised release and ordered the defendant to pay $100,000 in forfeiture.

According to court records, between March 2019 and December 2023, Brown operated a company, Warrior Labz SARMs, and accompanying websites through which he sold unapproved versions of prescription drugs and other substances. Specifically, Brown sold Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (“SARMs”), which are substances similar to anabolic steroids; unapproved versions of erectile-dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis; and unapproved versions of weight-loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.

Brown falsely claimed on his websites that the drugs offered for sale were for “research purposes only” and “not for human consumption.” Alongside those claims, however, were claims that the drugs would provide various benefits affecting the structure and function of the human body.

Brown obtained the bulk of the drugs he sold from China. Brown did not verify shipping or storage conditions, nor did he use a lab to verify the contents of the drugs he received from China. But he falsely claimed on his websites that his company used only the highest quality pharmaceutical grade ingredients and U.S. manufacturing practices.

After receiving a warning letter from the FDA in June 2023, Brown continued to sell unapproved drugs over the internet. Between August and December 2023, Brown made three sales of unapproved drugs to an undercover law enforcement account in Vermont.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Brown is represented by Rick Collins, Esq. and Lisa Shelkrot, Esq. 

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on January 2, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Cedric Wormely, 58, of Birmingham, Alabama, with ten counts of wire fraud in connection with an alleged romance fraud scheme. Wormely had been previously charged by criminal complaint in September 2024.

Wormely entered a plea of not guilty during an arraignment on February 3, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Wormely be detained during the pendency of this matter.

According to court records, Wormely is alleged to have devised a scheme to defraud a Vermont-based victim by inducing her to send him money by falsely presenting himself as a New England man who lived in the Cumberland, Maine area, who had been employed for decades, and who had a romantic interest in the victim. In or around July 2022, Wormely met the victim online via an online dating website. The two began what the victim believed to be a genuine romantic relationship. Wormely allegedly told the victim that while he had a pension, he was having difficulty accessing it and needed the victim’s financial support for a large construction job that he had taken on in Mississippi. Based on promises that Wormely would repay her, and the victim’s belief that Wormely’s romantic intentions and business opportunities were legitimate, the victim transferred over $100,000 to Wormely via money transfer applications and wire transfers.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Wormely is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Wormely faces up to twenty years’ incarceration and a fine up to $250,000 if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Secret Service.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Ophardt and Michelle Arra. Wormely is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.

The United States Secret Service and the United States Attorney’s Office encourage any individual who believes they may have been a victim of similar offenses to contact the United States Secret Service via email at USSSBurlingtonVT@usss.dhs.gov or by telephone at (802) 651-4091.

Burlington, Vermont - The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Andrew Hollins, who has also been known as Andrew Jones, 38, of Colchester, Vermont and New York City, was sentenced on January 31, 2024 in United States District Court in Burlington to 62 months of imprisonment following his guilty pleas to two separate indictments charging him with narcotics trafficking, wire fraud and money laundering. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that Hollins serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term and pay restitution in the amount of $33,000. The court ordered that Hollins’ federal sentence run concurrently with a 2 to 4-year sentence Hollins is currently serving in New York State on two gun charges.

In December 2022, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment alleging that Hollins distributed cocaine on three dates in late 2019. At the same time, the grand jury returned a separate indictment charging Hollins with fraud, money laundering and identity theft in connection with a series of pandemic-related Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) applications he submitted to the U.S. Small Business Administration in July and August 2020. Under the EIDL loan program, the SBA provides low-interest loans to businesses and persons that have suffered financial hardship because of a natural disaster, such as the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to the indictment, Hollins applied for eight EIDL loans in mid-2020 in his own name, in the names of two shell businesses he founded, in the names of two relatives and in the names of three persons whose identities Hollins stole. Some of the loans were funded by SBA, while others were rejected. The applications were fraudulent because they contained materially false statements about when the businesses were established, about the companies’ gross receipts in the preceding year, about the number of employees each business had and the physical location of the businesses. The SBA rejected most of the loan applications because it suspected fraud. However, two loans were funded, or partially funded, in the amount of $33,000.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.

Hollins is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Jorge Humberto Moreno Martinez, 34, of Venezuela, has been charged by criminal complaint with being unlawfully present in the United States after having been previously removed by immigration officials.

On January 28, 2025, Moreno appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Moreno be detained during the pendency of this matter.

According to court records, Moreno was previously removed from the United States by immigration officials on November 15, 2016, after he completed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence following his New York felony conviction for burglary in the second degree. At that time, Moreno was advised and acknowledged that due to his criminal history he was prohibited from entering or attempting to enter the United States. Despite that warning, Moreno re-entered the United States and his presence in the country thereafter was in violation of U.S. law.

Court records also state that when agents from the Department of Homeland Security attempted to arrest Moreno at a parking lot in Williston, Vermont, on January 27, 2025, Moreno fled in a vehicle, hitting three law enforcement vehicles before travelling at more than 100 miles per hour on a busy street before he was apprehended. As he drove, items were discarded from Moreno’s vehicle. Law enforcement recovered some of those items, which tested presumptively positive for cocaine base and cocaine.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Moreno is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Moreno faces up to 20 years’ incarceration if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Department of Homeland Security, including its Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI"), Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP”) divisions, with assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”).

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Colin Owyang. Moreno is represented by Brooks McArthur, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 28, 2025, Andrew Chaves, 25, of Washington, DC, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of two years’ imprisonment to be followed by a one-year term of supervised release. Chaves previously pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.

According to court records, Chaves stole two federal government vehicles from November 2023 to January 2024. He took one vehicle from a U.S. Forest Service facility in Manchester, Vermont and another from a U.S. Army facility in Lodi, New Jersey. Chaves drove both vehicles through multiple states, including Vermont, while making unauthorized purchases on credit cards he had stolen. As part of his plea, Chaves has agreed to pay over $25,000 in restitution to the United States government and his other victims. The statute of conviction prescribes a mandatory sentence of two years’ imprisonment consecutive to all other sentences. Chaves has pending state charges in Vermont, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General, the United States Forest Service, the Vermont State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Federal Protective Service.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Owyang. Chaves was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls and defense attorney Sarah Star, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Saul Mazariegos-Estrada, 29, of El Tejar, Guatemala, has been charged by criminal complaint with the illegal transportation of aliens, and that Byron Sicajau Socoy, 40, of El Tejar, Guatemala, and Christian Rafael Hernandez Villa, 34, of Jalisco, Mexico, have been charged by criminal complaint with being aliens who eluded examination or inspection by immigration officers. The term “alien” is defined by statute to mean a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States.

On January 27, 2025, all three defendants appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Mazariegos-Estrada be detained pending a detention hearing. At their initial appearances, Sicajau Socoy and Hernandez Villa pleaded guilty to the allegations in their respective criminal complaints and received time-served sentences. Sicajau Socoy and Hernandez Villa had faced up to 6 months’ imprisonment.

According to court records, on January 25, 2025, at approximately 9:15 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol agents received a report from a concerned citizen who had observed multiple subjects crossing a remote dirt road approximately one mile south of the United States-Canada border in the area of Newport, Vermont.

Border Patrol agents responded to the area and discovered footprints in the snow where the concerned citizen had reported the crossing. Shortly thereafter, Border Patrol agents conducting surveillance in the area observed a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed on a remote driveway. Border Patrol agents began following the vehicle, which had Virginia license plates. Agents observed multiple individuals in the back seat and noted that the windows of the vehicle were foggy, which to the agents indicated that the passengers had been exhausting energy, features which the agents had observed in multiple other human smuggling events.

Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle and encountered, in the front seat, Mazariegos-Estrada, who stated that he was a Guatemalan citizen and that he did not possess immigration documents to enter or remain in the United States. In the rear, agents encountered Sicajau Socoy and Hernandez Villa, who both admitted to illegally entering the United States and that neither had immigration documents allowing them to enter or remain in the United States. All three were taken into custody and transported to the Border Patrol Station.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that a criminal complaint contains allegations only and that Mazariegos-Estrada is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Mazariegos-Estrada faces up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and Andrew C. Gilman. Mazariegos-Estrada is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon. Sicajau Socoy was represented by Jason J. Sawyer, Esq., and Hernandez Villa was represented by Kevin M. Henry, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Jamontay Brister, 29, of Queens, New York, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 54 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to charges that he conspired to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possessed a firearm as a convicted felon. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered that Brister serve a three-year term of supervised release following completion of his prison sentence. Brister has been detained without bail since his arrest last July.

According to court records, in June 2024, Burlington Police Department drug investigators and DEA Task Force officers made three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Brister utilizing a confidential source. In July, officers obtained a state court warrant to search the Burlington apartment within which Brister had rented a room. They executed the warrant on the morning of July 17 and arrested Brister, who was alone in a locked bedroom. During the search of Brister’s bedroom, officers recovered more than 950 grams of cocaine, more than 150 grams of fentanyl, about $10,000 in cash and a handgun. Brister is prohibited from possessing firearms because he has a prior attempted robbery conviction in New York state.

This case was investigated by the Burlington Police Department’s Narcotics Unit and the DEA Task Force.

Brister is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on January 16, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Kyle Pickett, 30, of Windsor County, Vermont, with being a felon in possession of two firearms.

Pickett entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on January 23, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome J. Niedermeier. Judge Niedermeier ordered that Pickett be detained during the pendency of this matter.

According to court records, on November 25, 2023, Pickett possessed two loaded firearms, a Winchester Model 62 .22 rifle and a Winchester Model 42 410 shotgun, in a Ford Ranger pick-up truck, which had been stolen from a residence in Orange County, Vermont. Pickett had multiple prior felony convictions, and thus was prohibited from possessing those firearms.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Pickett is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Pickett faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Pickett is represented by Sara M. Puls, Assistant Federal Public Defender.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 23, 2025, Jordan Phelps, 36, of Morrisville, Vermont was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to 18 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Phelps previously pleaded guilty to being an unlawful user of controlled substances, specifically cocaine base, in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on March 11, 2024, Jordan Phelps called the Morristown Police Department on four occasions and threatened to go to the home of a sworn member of law enforcement. The threatening phone calls were recorded, and law enforcement investigated Phelps. The investigation demonstrated that Phelps sought to go to the officer’s home in response to what Phelps considered was unlawful surveillance of his activities. On March 13, 2024, law enforcement executed a state search warrant at Phelps’ residence that led to the seizure of a loaded Marlin Model 336 .30-30 Caliber Rifle from Phelps’ bedroom. Further investigation into Phelps revealed that he was an unlawful user of controlled substances.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Morristown Police Department, the Stowe Police Department, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, and the Vermont State Police.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig. Phelps was represented by Chandler Matson, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN. 

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Teresa Youngblut, 21, and who is believed to be from Washington state, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of using a deadly weapon while assaulting a United States Border Patrol agent, and one count of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to that assault. Her initial court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

According to the charging affidavit, during the afternoon of January 20, 2025, a United States Border Patrol agent initiated a traffic stop of a Toyota Prius on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont. The car was occupied by Youngblut and a man who was a citizen of Germany and whose immigration status was in question. Youngblut and her companion had come to the attention of law enforcement a few days earlier when a hotel employee in Lyndonville expressed concern about them being dressed in tactical clothing and protective gear, while also being armed. Law enforcement also observed the couple in the Prius earlier on January 20 at a Walmart parking lot in Newport, Vermont. At that time, the German man was seen wrapping unidentifiable objects with aluminum foil while seated in the vehicle.

According to the affidavit, during the January 20 vehicle stop, both Youngblut and her companion were armed. During the stop, Youngblut fired her handgun without warning toward at least one of the Border Patrol Agents while outside the vehicle. Her German companion also tried to draw a firearm, and at least one Border Patrol Agent fired his service weapon. The exchange of gunfire resulted in Border Patrol Agent David Maland sustaining fatal injuries. Youngblut and her companion were also shot. The German man was pronounced dead at the scene, and Youngblut was taken to the hospital for medical care.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing. It is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with substantial assistance from the Vermont State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, the Newport, Vermont, Police Department, and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher stated: “The events leading to this prosecution tragically demonstrate how the men and women of law enforcement regularly put their lives on the line as they try to keep our communities and our country safe. The United States Attorney’s Office is deeply grateful for those with the courage to do such dangerous work. We intend to honor them, and the memory of Border Patrol Agent Maland, by performing our prosecutorial duties so that justice may be done.” Drescher also commended the investigative collaboration demonstrated by the FBI, Vermont State Police, ATF, and the other agencies involved.

Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albany Field Office, stated: “Agent Maland bravely served his country as a member of the United States Air Force. He continued that service when he answered the call to protect and serve as a law enforcement officer, making him a shining example of service over self. This arrest proves the FBI, together with our partners, will work diligently to ensure any individual who uses a firearm to assault such a public servant will be brought to justice.”

“The senseless and tragic killing of a United States Border Patrol agent is a stark reminder of the immense sacrifices law enforcement officers make to protect our nation,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Boston Field Division. “ATF stands resolute with our partners to bring justice to the individual responsible. Our deepest condolences go out to the agent’s family, colleagues, and all who are grieving this profound loss.”

Chief United States Border Patrol Agent Robert Garcia stated: “We appreciate all our law enforcement partners' response to this tragic event as we continue our mission of protecting this nation’s border and ensuring public safety.”

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations and that Youngblut is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Youngblut faces a maximum prison sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years if convicted of the charges in the complaint. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Lasher. Youngblut is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 21, 2025, Ryan Buckley, 36, of Windsor, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Buckley previously pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after previously having been convicted of a felony.

According to court records, police found Buckley passed out with a loaded handgun in his lap while parked in his pickup truck at the community baseball field in Cheshire, Vermont. When police woke him, Buckley grasped the handgun and put his truck into gear before police successfully disarmed Buckley without anyone getting hurt. Buckley admitted that he had just smoked methamphetamine which police recovered in his pickup truck. As part of his plea agreement, Buckley also admitted to possessing another 18 firearms, some of them stolen.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chester, Vermont Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Owyang. Buckley was represented by Michael Straub, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on January 16, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging  Christopher Stephens, 38, of Hartford, Connecticut with distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Stephens entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on January 16, 2025 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. On January 17, 2025, Judge Doyle ordered that Stephens be detained during the pendency of this matter.

According to court records, on three occasions between June 11, 2024 and July 23, 2024, Stephens sold fentanyl to an individual who was working on behalf of law enforcement. Those drug sales occurred in Burlington, Vermont. On June 23, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a hotel where Stephens was staying in Shelburne, Vermont. Inside of that hotel, law enforcement found fentanyl packaged for street level distribution. Stephens was arrested on January 16, 2025, inside of a residence in Burlington, Vermont. From the room where law enforcement found Stephens, law enforcement also recovered a Walther .380 caliber firearm with a loaded magazine.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Stephens is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Stephens faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on each count if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Burlington Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Vermont State Police.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Stendig. Stephens is represented by Barclay Johnson, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 17, 2025, Jessica Russell, 42, of Barre, Vermont, pleaded guilty before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to two counts of wire fraud.

According to court records, Russell defrauded an elderly Vermont victim of over $84,000. Russell befriended her victim who had lost a son. Russell built rapport with the victim by calling her “mom” and falsely telling her that Russell herself had lost a child. The elderly victim gave Russell a power of attorney, but it only authorized Russell to take legal actions that the victim would have taken, if they were able. As the elderly victim’s health and mental state declined, Russell opened a joint checking account with the victim. That account was funded with over $132,000 that came from the sale of the victim’s home. Of that money, Russell used $68,000 to buy a house in Barton, Vermont and over $16,000 to buy a 2017 Mitsubishi SUV. Russell put the house in her own name, falsely telling other people that she had bought it with her own money or that she had inherited it. Russell put the SUV in her name as well. Last year, Russell communicated with a car dealership about making repairs to the SUV which she continued to represent as belonging to her.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 12, 2025, in Burlington.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and Vermont State Police.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Owyang. Russell is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls.

Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 9, 2025, Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, 29, of Queens, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 18 months’ imprisonment. The Court did not impose supervised release because Barragan-Palacios, originally of Oaxaca, Mexico, is expected to be deported after imprisonment. Barragan-Palacios previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to transport people who had entered the United States illegally.

According to court records, Barragan-Palacios completed approximately 30 smuggling trips, shuttling nearly 100 migrants who entered the country illegally from the Canadian border into Vermont, to the New York City area between August 2023 and January 2024, receiving approximately $500,000 in proceeds. In January 2024, authorities arrested Barragan-Palacios after he failed to yield to a marked Border Patrol vehicle and initiated a high-speed pursuit in wintry road conditions along the Canadian border, reaching speeds up to 85 mph, with six migrants lying down in the bed of his rented pickup truck or seated unbelted in the truck’s cab.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Lasher and Colin Owyang. Barragan-Palacios was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 6, 2025, Luis Angel Gerardo Urias, 27, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 70 months’ imprisonment. Gerardo Urias previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court records, Gerardo Urias and his co-conspirators participated in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that extended from Arizona to Vermont and involved the distribution of over 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine. The investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations revealed that Gerardo Urias and his co-conspirators shipped methamphetamine to Vermont, distributed methamphetamine to an undercover agent in Arizona, and received drug proceeds in cash as well as via money transfer services from Vermont. On March 15, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Gerardo Urias’s residence in Phoenix, Arizona. During the search, law enforcement recovered two firearms that Gerardo Urias possessed: a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and an assault-style rifle, as well as ammunition for those respective firearms.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Winooski Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Gerardo Urias was represented by Karen R. Shingler, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District (EMUU) in Vermont to resolve its investigation into allegations that the district failed to adequately respond to student-on-student racial harassment.

The investigation, conducted jointly by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, concluded that the district did not appropriately respond to serious and widespread harassment of Black and biracial students by their peers, primarily at Peoples Academy Middle Level. Harassed students endured frequent slurs and racist imagery, and a hostile environment where the use of the N-word and displays of confederate flags and Nazi symbols and salutes were commonplace.

“Racial harassment makes students feel unsafe, deprives them of a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In the 21st century, no student should be subjected to racial slurs, Nazi salutes or other racially-charged hostilities. This agreement provides sound strategies for preventing and addressing racial harassment. We look forward to the district demonstrating to its students that racial bullying and harassment have no place in its schools.”

“This settlement represents an important step towards ensuring that students of the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District are able to attend school without the fear of racial harassment,” said U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest for the District of Vermont. “The measures set forth in the settlement will help guide the school district towards swift and appropriate responses should any instances of racial bullying or harassment occur. In addition, all Vermont school administrators must take note. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that our schools are free from racial harassment and will take action if school districts are not addressing this destructive behavior.”

The department opened its investigation in December 2023 under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The department reviewed records and complaints from three school years, beginning with the 2021-22 school year, and interviewed administrators, teachers and parents.

The district cooperated fully throughout the investigation and has already implemented some improvements, including adoption of a central reporting system it plans to use to track harassment incidents and ensure victims of repeated harassment are not overlooked.

Under the agreement, EMUU will:

• Revise its anti-harassment policies and procedures to clarify that they cover conduct that is not directly aimed at a specific student but contributes to a hostile environment;
• Annually conduct multifaceted campus climate assessments, including listening sessions with student groups, and take responsive action to address identified concerns; and 
• Educate students and train employees on the district’s policies and procedures for addressing race-based harassment.

Protecting the constitutional rights of public-school students is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt/ and additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section’s work is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Information about the District of Vermont’s Civil Rights Program is available at www.justice.gov/usao-vt/civil-rights-program.

To report a possible civil rights violation, please visit www.civilrights.justice.gov/.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District (EMUU) in Vermont to resolve its investigation into allegations that the district failed to adequately respond to student-on-student racial harassment.

The investigation, conducted jointly by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, concluded that the district did not appropriately respond to serious and widespread harassment of Black and biracial students by their peers, primarily at Peoples Academy Middle Level. Harassed students endured frequent slurs and racist imagery, and a hostile environment where the use of the N-word and displays of confederate flags and Nazi symbols and salutes were commonplace.

“Racial harassment makes students feel unsafe, deprives them of a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In the 21st century, no student should be subjected to racial slurs, Nazi salutes or other racially-charged hostilities. This agreement provides sound strategies for preventing and addressing racial harassment. We look forward to the district demonstrating to its students that racial bullying and harassment have no place in its schools.”

“This settlement represents an important step towards ensuring that students of the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District are able to attend school without the fear of racial harassment,” said U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest for the District of Vermont. “The measures set forth in the settlement will help guide the school district towards swift and appropriate responses should any instances of racial bullying or harassment occur. In addition, all Vermont school administrators must take note. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that our schools are free from racial harassment and will take action if school districts are not addressing this destructive behavior.”

The department opened its investigation in December 2023 under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The department reviewed records and complaints from three school years, beginning with the 2021-22 school year, and interviewed administrators, teachers and parents.

The district cooperated fully throughout the investigation and has already implemented some improvements, including adoption of a central reporting system it plans to use to track harassment incidents and ensure victims of repeated harassment are not overlooked.

Under the agreement, EMUU will:

• Revise its anti-harassment policies and procedures to clarify that they cover conduct that is not directly aimed at a specific student but contributes to a hostile environment;
• Annually conduct multifaceted campus climate assessments, including listening sessions with student groups, and take responsive action to address identified concerns; and
• Educate students and train employees on the district’s policies and procedures for addressing race-based harassment.

Protecting the constitutional rights of public-school students is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justive.gov/crt/ and additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section’s work is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Information about the District of Vermont’s Civil Rights Program is available at www.justice.gov/usao-vt/civil-rights-program.

To report a possible civil rights violation, please visit www.civilrights.justice.gov/.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 7, 2025, Raul Velez, 55, of Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mae D’Agostino to a term of 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Velez previously pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

According to court records, in March 2024, Velez arranged to obtain more than 1,000 grams of cocaine via the U.S. Mail. The package containing that cocaine, which was addressed to Velez at a hotel in Shelburne, Vermont, was intercepted by law enforcement. Investigators then coordinated a controlled delivery of the parcel, which did not contain any cocaine, to Velez on March 7, 2024. Following that delivery, Velez obtained the parcel from his hotel room in Shelburne. Velez intended to distribute the cocaine that he thought was inside of the package, which was roughly one kilogram in total weight.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Shelburne Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara Masterson and Zachary Stendig. Velez was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon.

Burlington, Vermont – United States Attorney Nikolas Kerest announced today that he will resign effective January 20, 2025.

Following his nomination by President Biden and confirmation by the Senate, Mr. Kerest has served as the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont since December 10, 2021, leading the United States Attorney’s Office’s 51 employees, in the enforcement of federal criminal and civil laws in the state. Prior to becoming United States Attorney, Mr. Kerest served as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the criminal and civil divisions for eleven years, including 4.5 years as the Chief of the office’s civil division.

Mr. Kerest stated, “Representing the United States as a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Office team for over fourteen years and as its leader for the past three years has been the highlight of my career. Public service is a gift, and I will forever be grateful to have had the chance to work towards a better Vermont – one that is safer for its residents, one in which civil rights are upheld, and one in which the rule of law is respected. The criminal and civil Assistant U.S. Attorneys, administrative staff, and support staff who constitute the small but mighty U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont are unmatched public servants, and I know they will continue to pursue justice without fear or favor and achieve great results in the years ahead.”

During the past three years, the United States Attorney’s Office redoubled its efforts to address violent crime. With strong law enforcement partnerships across Vermont, the Office prosecuted illegal gun possessions at an increased rate. In particular, the U.S. Attorney’s Office supported the efforts of the Chittenden County Gun Violence Task Force, worked hand in hand with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other law enforcement partners in prosecutions arising out of Bennington and Rutland counties, and provided significant prosecutorial resources to address violence in the Northeast Kingdom. Examples of the Office’s steadfast approach to curbing violent crime are the prosecutions of Everett Simpson, Lawrence Jackson, Carl Martin, Dominique Troupe, Deven Moffitt, and Sean Fiore. In addition to increased violent crime prosecutions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office initiated and promoted safe gun storage in partnership with the Vermont State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the UVM Medical Center, and other partners supporting the www.gunsafevt.org website.

Under Kerest’s leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office focused on enforcing federal civil rights laws, as well as educating Vermonters about their rights under these laws. Through its United Against Hate program, the Office provided outreach and education about federal civil rights laws to high school students all around Vermont. The Office also maintained strong relationships with Vermont’s faith communities by providing regular civil rights outreach. In addition, the Office’s civil rights program has paid close attention to civil rights violations in Vermont schools. The Twin Valley and Stepping Stones settlements are specific examples of this important work.

For the past three years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has also taken significant steps to address elder financial fraud in Vermont. The prosecutions of Nicholas Melanson and Nasir Hussain are prime examples of the Office holding elder fraud perpetrators responsible for their harmful conduct. In addition, in partnership with the U.S. Secret Service, HSI, and Diplomatic Security Service, Mr. Kerest led numerous events providing education and tips to avoid becoming a victim to Vermont’s elder community.

Under Kerest’s leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s civil division continued to be a nationwide leader. On the defensive side of the docket, the Office successfully represented the Federal Highway Administration against challenges to the construction of Burlington’s Champlain Parkway. The civil division’s work fighting fraud and recovering damages continued to set the standard for small-sized U.S. Attorney’s Offices. In particular, the office was responsible for a ground-breaking Controlled Substances Act settlement with eBay, along with recoveries from NextGen, an electronic health records company, and Vermont defense contractors (Preci, Galvion, and Revision).

Mr. Kerest also thanked the many federal, state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as community groups who partner with the United States Attorney’s Office. “The partnerships the U.S. Attorney’s Office enjoys throughout Vermont are vital to the success of our work and the work of all law enforcement. Support for law enforcement and collaboration is necessary to achieve a better Vermont. I am thankful for all of our partners and will look back fondly on the relationships fostered and created during my tenure as U.S. Attorney.”

First Assistant United States Attorney Michael Drescher, who has served the Office as a civil and criminal AUSA for over 22 years, will become Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont upon Mr. Kerest’s departure.

Kerest has not yet determined his future professional plans.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 23, 2024, Javon Calderon, 21, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 85 months’ imprisonment to be followed by an 8-year term of supervised release. Calderon previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

According to court records, Calderon and co-defendant Christopher Morgan spent substantial time in Bennington, Vermont, in 2022 distributing fentanyl and cocaine. During a portion of that time, Calderon and Morgan were hosted by co-defendants and Bennington residents Shavonne Doucette and Kyle Winnie. Calderon and Morgan employed locals to sell drugs for them. Doucette and Winnie also occasionally sold drugs for Calderon and Morgan.

In early September 2022, inside the Doucette/Winnie residence, Calderon and Morgan threatened with firearms and assaulted one such local distributor over a drug debt. Portions of the assault were captured on video and depicted Calderon striking and threatening the victim and holding a firearm to the victim’s neck while making threats. The video also depicted Morgan pointing a firearm at the victim and issuing threats. The victim sustained scalp injuries that required staples.

Like Calderon, Morgan has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Morgan’s sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2025. Doucette and Winnie have pleaded guilty to making their residence available for the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine. Doucette’s sentencing is set for January 21, 2025, and Winnie’s sentencing is set for February 18, 2025.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the HSI Special Response Team, the Vermont State Police, the Bennington Police Department, the Bennington County Sheriff’s Department, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corinne Smith. Calderon was represented by Devin McKnight, Esq; Morgan is represented by Peter Langrock, Esq.; Doucette is represented by Brooks McArthur, Esq.; Winnie is represented by Jordana Levine, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on December 19, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Joshua Hartness, age 45, of Colebrook, New Hampshire, with possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). Hartness entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on December 20, 2024 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Hartness be released on conditions. According to the indictment, Hartness allegedly possessed one or more images of CSAM between May 22 and August 26 in 2022.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Hartness is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Hartness faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Colin Owyang. Hartness is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section(CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 17, 2024, Jacob McKenna, 38, of Jeffersonville, Vermont was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to time served to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Jacob McKenna previously pleaded guilty to making false statements in connection with his acquisition of a firearm.

According to court records, on October 28, 2022, Jacob McKenna went to a federal firearms licensee (FFL) in Williston, Vermont. There, he filled out a written ATF Form 4473 in connection with the purchase of a nine-millimeter pistol. On the form, Jacob McKenna falsely stated he was not a user of illegal drugs. Based on that false statement, Jacob McKenna obtained the pistol. On January 5, 2023, Jacob McKenna returned to the same FFL and tried to buy two more nine-millimeter pistols. When confronted about this conduct on January 6, 2023, Jacob McKenna admitted to purchasing firearms on several occasions intended for persons prohibited from lawfully possessing firearms.

On July 26, 2024, United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford sentenced Jacob McKenna’s wife, Tamira McKenna, 36, also of Jeffersonville, to time served to be followed by a two-year term of supervised release. Tamira McKenna also previously pleaded guilty to making false statements in acquisition of a firearm.

For her part, on March 10, 2022, Tamira McKenna went to the same FFL in Williston, Vermont, where, like her husband, in the course of acquiring a handgun, she filled out paperwork falsely stating she was not a user of illegal drugs. On January 5, 2023, Tamira McKenna returned to the same FFL and tried unsuccessfully to buy two more nine-millimeter pistols, and again lied on an ATF Form 4473. The next day, during an interview with law enforcement Tamira McKenna admitted to her use of controlled substances and that she intended to purchase the firearms to give them to a person prohibited from lawfully possessing firearms.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of  the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Burlington Police Department, the South Burlington Police Department, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the Milton Police Department, and the United States Marshal Service.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig. Tamira McKenna was represented by Lisa Shelkrot, Esq. Jacob McKenna was represented by Robert Behrens, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 16, 2024, Sharad Collier, 27, of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III, to eighteen months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Sharad Collier previously pleaded guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on February 28, 2023, Collier fled from a residence in Morristown, Vermont where law enforcement arrested other individuals. Police tracked Collier to a nearby shed-like structure which the defendant refused to exit for approximately two hours. Eventually, Collier surrendered to the police. Police then obtained a warrant to search the residence from which Collier fled where they found a Glock Model 23 .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol  in the bedroom previously occupied by Collier and from which Collier fled hours before he surrendered. Collier later admitted to investigators that he was an unlawful user of controlled substances in February 2023. He was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. The investigation into Collier further demonstrated that he was involved in trafficking cocaine base and fentanyl in Vermont in February of 2023.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of  the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Morristown Police Department, the Stowe Police Department, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, and the Vermont State Police.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig. Collier was represented by Allan Sullivan, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Joseph Vaillancourt, 42, of White River Junction, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with possessing a silencer that was neither registered to him nor identified by a serial number.

On December 16, 2024, Vaillancourt appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Vaillancourt be detained pending further proceedings later this week.

According to court records, on October 18, 2024, Hartford, Vermont police located the silencer along with thirteen firearms and over 1,200 rounds of ammunition during the execution of a search of Vaillancourt’s residence pursuant to an unrelated state warrant. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) identified the silencer as subject to the National Firearms Act.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Vaillancourt is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Vaillancourt faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the ATF, the Hartford Police Department, and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Eugenia Cowles. Vaillancourt is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Revision Military Ltd. (Revision) will pay $426,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by selling eyewear products that it falsely represented were wholly sourced in the United States.

Revision is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Vermont. Revision manufactures protective eyewear systems, which the United States has purchased for use by military personnel through the Defense Logistics Agency’s Special Operational Equipment Tailored Logistics Support (SOE TLS) Program. The SOE TLS Program requires that textile components in products be sourced from the United States in accordance with the Berry Amendment.

The government’s investigation revealed that between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020, Revision used a non-domestic source of carrying pouches, cases, and/or straps for certain eyewear systems sold through the SOE TLS Program. Revision has acknowledged these impermissible sales and that employees with oversight of product sourcing, operations and/or sales during this period were aware of the use of non-compliant components in products sold through the SOE TLS Program. The government alleges that Revision’s knowing sale of non-compliant eyewear systems violated the False Claims Act, a civil fraud statute.

“In selling products that it knew to be non-compliant, Revision violated the trust placed in government contractors in furtherance of its own bottom line,” said United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest.  “Our office has now resolved three investigations in the past two years into procurement fraud in Department of Defense contracts, and we will continue to work to preserve the integrity of government programs.”

Investigative support in this matter was provided by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

“Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is committed to protecting the interests of our soldiers and to pursuing those involved in procurement fraud aggressively,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Keith K. Kelly, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Fraud Field Office. “CID Special Agents work diligently to prevent and investigate criminal activity and civil violations that affect Army people, resources, capabilities, and communities worldwide.”

“Protecting the integrity of the DoD procurement process and supply chain is a top priority for the DoD Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “The DCIS will continue to work with its law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice to hold DoD contractors accountable to contract requirements and ensure that compliant products are provided to the U.S. military.”

To resolve the claims against it, Revision has agreed to pay to the United States a total of $426,000. This amount reflects Revision’s acceptance of responsibility, cooperation with the government investigation, and compliance measures implemented by Revision’s new owners after 2019.

Civil Chief Lauren Almquist Lively handled this matter for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.

The settlement agreement between the United States and Revision is available at this link:

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Robert McLane, 36, of Websterville, Vermont was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to 18 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge of mail fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that McLane serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term and also pay restitution in the amount of $566,000. The court ordered McLane to surrender to the United States Bureau of Prisons on April 4, 2025 to begin serving his sentence.

According to court records, between approximately March 2019 and September 23, 2022, McLane was employed by Formula Nissan, Inc., an automobile sales and service dealership located in central Vermont, where McLane served as the Parts Manager and then the Director of Parts and Service. In his positions, McLane oversaw the parts and service departments; supervised other employees; and ordered, received and paid for automotive parts needed in the dealership’s operations. In ordering, receiving and paying for parts, McLane typically communicated with Formula Nissan’s parts supplier, Nissan North America, using the Dealer Management System software.

Beginning in about January 2021 and continuing until September 2022, McLane defrauded the dealership by ordering certain vehicle parts from the dealership’s parts supplier, including vehicle suspension lift kits. The cost to the dealership of each lift kit was in the $2300 to $2900 range. The supplier billed, and the dealership subsequently paid, for the lift kits McLane had ordered.

As part of the scheme, McLane caused the lift kits not to be entered into the dealership’s inventory of parts-on-hand.

Instead of selling the lift kits for the benefit of the dealership, McLane advertised them for sale on Facebook at prices substantially discounted from their wholesale cost to the dealership. Over the course of the scheme, McLane sold more than 200 lift kits to persons around the United States, and he shipped the kits to his own customers by using the dealership’s Federal Express account. Purchasers paid McLane for the lift kits via transfers of funds to a personal PayPal account that McLane maintained in his own name and for his own benefit.

As a result of McLane’s fraud, Formula Nissan and its insurance company suffered an out-of-pocket loss of at least $575,000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

McLane is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Leticia Russi-Shareno, 60, of Kenmore, New York, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Burlington to a charge of wire fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss released Russi-Shareno on conditions pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 22.

On November 20, 2024, the United States Attorney filed a one-count information charging Russi-Shareno with wire fraud. Russi-Shareno pleaded guilty to the information in court today. According to the information, between approximately August 2019 and December 2020, Russi-Shareno served as president of Local 2076 of the American Federation of Government Employees. Local 2076 is a labor union whose members are employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security working in Vermont and upstate New York. As president, Russi-Shareno had check signing authority on Local 2076’s Vermont bank account and also received a debit card to make official purchases on behalf of the union.

According to the information, during her presidency, Russi-Shareno embezzled approximately $36,000 from Local 2076’s coffers by using the union’s debit card to make ATM withdrawals of funds for personal expenses; using the debit card to make purchases for her personal benefit; and by falsifying paperwork to obtain duplicate reimbursements for expenses incurred on behalf of Local 2076. The defendant also cashed or deposited into her own account several checks that the national AFGE union had issued to Local 2076.

Russi-Shareno faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. Her actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

This case was investigated by the Boston and Buffalo Regional Office of the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and the Department of Homeland Security.

Russi-Shareno is represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that James Mailhiot, Jr., 56, of Rutland, Vermont, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court in Rutland to a charge of federal income tax evasion. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier released Mailhiot on conditions pending sentencing, which is scheduled for March 27, 2025.

On November 14, 2024, the United States Attorney filed a one-count information charging Mailhiot with evading a significant portion of the income taxes he owed to the United States for Tax Years 2019 through 2022. Yesterday, Mailhiot pleaded guilty to that information.

According to the information, Mailhiot owned and operated a roofing business that generated approximately $1.6 million in gross revenues between 2019 and 2022. Mailhiot used an out-of-state accountant to prepare his federal income tax returns. To enable the accountant to prepare each return, Mailhiot sent the accountant records of revenues earned and expenses incurred on the various roofing jobs he completed that year. In fact, the records Mailhiot gave to the accountant were very incomplete, resulting in a very substantial understatement of the taxable income he earned each year, and very substantial underpayments of the taxes he owed to the Internal Revenue Service. According to the information, Mailhiot’s underpayments for years 2019-2022 totaled $296,000.

Mailhiot faces up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

Mailhiot is represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 3, 2024, Roosevelt Smith, 27, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 58 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Smith previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl.

According to court records, on September 21, 2023, law enforcement arrested Smith, in Burlington, Vermont, after executing a search warrant at 86 N. Champlain St. The warrant was executed shortly after Smith returned to the residence from a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Items seized from the residence included nearly 300 grams of cocaine base and approximately 70 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement later examined the contents of Smith’s phone, pursuant to a warrant. The examination revealed communications indicative of drug trafficking.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the exceptional investigative work of the Burlington Police Department and the Vermont State Police.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Aliberti. Smith was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 2, 2024, Maryann Manning, 63, of Wolcott, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to two years of probation. Chief Judge Reiss also ordered Manning to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration in the amount of $119,978. Manning previously pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging Manning with receiving stolen government money.

According to court records, Manning’s brother received disability insurance benefit payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Manning’s brother died in October 2015 at which time his SSA benefits should have terminated. Following his death, however, Manning collected her brother’s benefits from SSA by withdrawing the money from his accounts. Manning admitted to investigators that she knew that she stole the money that did not belong to her. The total loss to the Social Security Administration was more than $119,000.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig. Manning was represented by Robert Behrens, Esq.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Umar Koon, 46, of The Bronx, New York, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington, to six months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge that he possessed fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine with intent to distribute. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III ordered that Koon serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. The court ordered Koon to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on January 21, 2025 to begin serving his sentence.

According to court records, the Northwestern Vermont Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began an investigation of Koon in the summer of 2023 after obtaining information that Koon was selling fentanyl in the Chittenden County area. Between September and November 2023, investigators, utilizing a confidential informant, made seven controlled purchases of fentanyl and cocaine base from Koon. Investigators arrested Koon on November 14 after he returned to Burlington from New York City on a bus. Agents seized a suitcase Koon was carrying, obtained a state warrant to search the bag, and recovered distribution quantities of cocaine, cocaine base and fentanyl. They also seized $1500 in cash from Koon’s person.

Koon was held without bail on state drug charges until December 6, 2023 when he was released to live in New York City. On December 7, 2023, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Koon with seven counts of distributing narcotics and one count of possessing other narcotics with intent to distribute. Federal agents arrested Koon at his home in The Bronx on December 12. The State of Vermont has dismissed its case in favor of this federal prosecution.

Koon is represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 2, 2024, John Ryea, 41, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a term of approximately two and one-half months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Ryea previously pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm after having been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

According to court records, Ryea has a November 30, 2022 misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from Rutland Superior Court where he admitted to punching his then live-in girlfriend in the jaw. He remained on probation in that state court case when he committed the crime to which he pleaded guilty.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Vermont Drug Task Force.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Owyang. Ryea was represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 21, 2024, Stephanie Horvath, 39, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 29 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Horvath previously pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine base to a law enforcement confidential informant in June 2023, in Rutland.

According to court records, starting in 2017-18 and continuing until her arrest in the current case in August 2023, Horvath “middled” drug sales for a rotating group of drug suppliers who were armed and dangerous. Horvath was involved in the distribution of cocaine base and heroin/fentanyl at the Highlander Motel in Rutland in 2022 and 2023. Horvath would distribute controlled substances herself, as well as have others distribute drugs from her hotel room. During the investigation that led to Horvath’s arrest, five controlled purchases were conducted by the Vermont State Police’s Drug Task Force involving the defendant’s room between December 2022 and June 2023. Records also indicate that in November 2022, Horvath’s acquisition of a large supply of cocaine and heroin/fentanyl from another drug supplier was associated with the violent assault of one of her associates.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police’s Drug Task Force, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Turner and Jonathan A. Ophardt. Horvath was represented Natasha Sen, Esq.

Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 20, 2024, Desmond Ipaye Adebiyi, age 37, of Miami, Florida was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph N. Laplante to a term of 18 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Ipaye previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting unauthorized access of a computer.

According to court records, Ipaye worked with others who infiltrated the email system of a Vermont business to receive emails intended for the company’s president and to send emails masquerading as from the company’s president. This ruse allowed Ipaye’s confederates to misdirect $450,000 intended for the Vermont business to a bank account that Ipaye and his conspirators had established for receiving crime proceeds. Fortunately, fast action by the Vermont business and law enforcement enabled complete recovery of the $450,000.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Drescher and Colin Owyang. Ipaye was represented by Heather E. Ross, Esq. from the law firm of Sheehey Furlong & Behm.

Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 20, 2024, Nicholas Shelton, 25, of Hope, Arkansas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph N. Laplante to a term of 81 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release. Shelton previously pleaded guilty to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

According to court records, in March 2023, while living in Hope, Arkansas, Shelton began communicating with a 15-year-old girl who resided in Vermont using two social media platforms.  During their conversations, Shelton and his victim began discussing having sexual intercourse, getting married, and having children. Thereafter, on March 25, 2023, Shelton traveled to Vermont with the intent to engage in sexual activity with the minor victim, knowing she was only 15 years old. Shelton was discovered living in the garage of the 15-year-old victim’s family home, and ordered to leave by the child’s parents. Shortly thereafter, the 15-year-old ran away from home, prompting the family to call the police for assistance. Two days later, the 15-year-old child and Shelton were found camping in the woods near a park in Essex, Vermont. Shelton admitted to having intercourse with the 15-year-old child.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Essex, Vermont Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt. Shelton was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Steven Barth.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on November 18, 2024, Brandon Anderson, 34, of Greenwood, Indiana, pleaded guilty in United States District Court in Burlington, to making a false statement to a department or agency of the United States. During the same hearing on November 18, Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Anderson to time-served and one year of supervised release.

Previously, on February 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Anderson, with two counts of impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States and one count of making a false statement to a department or agency of the United States.

According to court records, Anderson, while wearing a tactical uniform with black body armor and a holstered firearm, impersonated a federal law enforcement official on two occasions. Anderson was not in fact a federal law enforcement official during either occasion, but instead was a privately contracted security guard for a federal agency. In addition, investigation of Anderson revealed that, in becoming a security guard for the federal agency, he falsely stated that he had served in the United States Marine Corps and received an honorable discharge, when in fact he had not served in the Marines at all.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department, and the South Burlington Police Department.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Anderson is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on Friday, November 15, 2024, Lawrence Jackson, (a/k/a “Boo-Bee”), 53, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 190 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Jackson previously was convicted by a jury on April 17, 2024 of seven drug trafficking and firearm offenses after a seven-day trial.

According to court records and evidence admitted at trial, Jackson was the leader and organizer of a drug trafficking operation in the Rutland area that distributed over 3.5 kilograms of cocaine between December 2020 and November 2021. Jackson distributed large quantities of powder cocaine and cocaine base from four Rutland-area hotels and motels, as well as private residences. Jackson personally employed violence and intimidation to further his drug trafficking activities and directed others to do so. This violence included pistol-whippings and assaults as retribution for drug debts and personal affronts. Jackson armed himself and his coconspirators with firearms, including his favorite weapon, a Taurus “The Judge” revolver. Evidence admitted at sentencing established that, in addition to his drug and firearm offenses, Jackson sexually assaulted women and engaged in sex trafficking in and around Rutland.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Vermont Drug Task Force. U.S. Attorney Kerest also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Vermont State Police for their investigative assistance.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and Nicole P. Cate. Jackson represented himself at trial and sentencing, and Robert Behrens, Esq. served as standby counsel.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 18, 2024, Hassanah Delia, 38, of Burlington, New Jersey, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 30 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a six-year term of supervised release. Delia previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl in the District of Vermont in July and August 2023.

According to court records, in late July and early August 2023, Hassanah Delia and her co-conspirators occupied the Morrisville, Vermont residence of an individual who suffers from a degenerative illness. Delia occupied the individual's home for approximately a week and a half. Delia and her co-conspirators worked together to sell cocaine base and fentanyl from the house. Inside of the residence, Delia and her co-conspirators also cooked cocaine into cocaine base, and packaged drugs including fentanyl for street-level distribution. Drug customers came to the residence and Delia and others distributed drugs to those customers in exchange for money.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Morristown Police Department, the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig. Delia was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.