January 14, 2008

GERALD LAFLAM SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN BACKWARD-BANDIT ROBBERIES

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Gerald LaFlam, 20, of Hinesburg, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 41 months of imprisonment for his role in the so-called "backward-bandit" convenience store robberies that occurred this past winter. Chief U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered that LaFlam serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term and pay restitution totaling $4521. Judge Sessions ordered that LaFlam's sentence run concurrently to a state prison sentence LaFlam is currently serving on an unrelated charge.

In the past several months, LaFlam, Christopher Adams, Matthew Maskell and Ashley Penniman have all pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and robbery charges based on their involvement in the gun-point robberies of the Hinesburg General Store on January 22, 2007; the Lucky Spot Variety Store in Richmond on January 25, 2007; the Champlain Farms Store in Colchester on January 28, 2007; the Chittenden Mills Beverage Store in Jericho on January 29, 2007; and the Jerusalem Country Store in Starksboro on February 3, 2007. Under the federal Hobbs Act, it is a violation of federal law for an individual to engage in a robbery which delays, obstructs or affects interstate commerce, or to conspire to do so. LaFlam committed the Starksboro robbery and admitted being present when accomplices committed two other robberies.

Adams has already been sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment. Penniman and Maskell are scheduled to be sentenced within the next month.

United States Attorney Thomas D. Anderson commends the cooperative effort of several law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation of these robberies, including the Burlington resident agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Vermont State Police; the Hinesburg Community Police Department; the Colchester Police Department; and the Chittenden County State's Attorneys Office.

LaFlam is represented by Richard Bothfeld. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Waples.