December 21, 2007
JAMES GILLETTE III SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT
FOR POSSESSING STOLEN FIREARMS
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that James Gillette, 27, a former Springfield, Vermont resident, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 15 years of imprisonment following his guilty plea to possessing two firearms as a previously convicted felon. Chief U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered that Gillette serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. As part of this sentence, Judge Sessions ordered that Gillette receive credit for time he has served on a related state conviction.
On October 13, 2005, the Springfield, Vermont Police Department responded to a burglary which occurred at a residence in town. The officers determined that a Ruger Blackhawk .44 caliber magnum revolver and a Ruger .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol had been stolen from the home. Following investigation, it was determined that James Gillette and Jeffrey Lacomb had committed the burglary. It was ascertained that both were previously convicted felons and it is unlawful for a felon to possess a firearm under the Federal Gun Control Act.
On October 19, 2006, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Gillette and Lacomb with the firearms violations. On March 19, 2007, Gillette pled guilty to a charge of possession of the firearms having been previously convicted of numerous felony offenses. In court, it was stated that Gillette and Lacomb had taken the guns to Connecticut and traded them for crack cocaine. The firearms have never been recovered.
Gillette was sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which mandates a 15-year minimum sentence for anyone who possesses a firearm after having been convicted three times for violent felonies or serious drug offenses. Gillette had three prior residential burglary convictions which constituted crimes of violence.
Lacomb also pled guilty earlier this year and has been sentenced to a 32-month term of imprisonment.
The United States Attorney Thomas Anderson commended the cooperative effort of the Springfield Vermont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Gillette was represented by Burlington attorney Thomas Sherrer. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Waples prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney noted that this prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhood, a nationwide initiative to reduce gun crime in America. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Project Safe Neighborhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who violate federal gun laws. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhood and Project Safe Vermont, please visit: www.psn.gov.
