January 24, 2008

ASHLEY PENNIMAN SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN
BACKWARD-BANDIT ROBBERIES

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Ashley Penniman, 23, who is currently incarcerated at Dale Correctional Facility in Waterbury, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 27 months of imprisonment for her role in the so-called "backward-bandit" convenience store robberies that occurred this past winter, and a separate series of robberies in 2005-2006. Chief U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III ordered that Penniman serve three years of supervised release following completion of her prison term and pay restitution totaling $4663.

In the past several months, Penniman, Gerald LaFlam, Christopher Adams and Matthew Maskell 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. Penniman admitted that she participated in each of the 2007 robberies. As part of her cooperation with law enforcement authorities, Penniman also disclosed her involvement and the involvement others in a series of store robberies the preceding year which have only recently been solved.

Adams has already been sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment and LaFlam to 41 months. Maskell is scheduled to be sentenced 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.

Penniman is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Waples.