July 1, 2009
MORRISVILLE MAN SENTENCED FOR BEING A FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Steven Lafountain, 38, of Morrisville, Vermont, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge J. Garvan Murtha to two years of probation and three months of home confinement, with electronic monitoring, for possessing a firearm and ammunition. LaFountain, who is a convicted felon, is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
According to court records, between the spring of 2004 and the spring of 2007, Lafountain possessed a Remington 870 Magnum 20 gauge shotgun. He had borrowed the shotgun from a co-worker and refused to return it. On April 3, 2007, Lafountain pledged the shotgun as security for a debt he owed to a third party. That same day, Lafountain transferred the gun to that third party in Berlin, Vermont. Subsequently, law enforcement learned of the transfer and investigated the crime.
Lafountain was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 20, 2007 and was arrested on September 26, 2007. Lafountain pled guilty on February 22, 2008 to knowing and intentional possession of a firearm after having been previously convicted of crimes punishable by a term of imprisonment greater than one year. His five previous felony convictions are for uttering a forged instrument (two convictions), false token, false pretense, and unlawful trespass.
This case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Acting United States Attorney Paul J. Van de Graaf commends this agency for its work. The prosecutor was Assistant United States Attorney Nancy J. Creswell. Lafountain was represented by Attorney Beth Mann of the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
Acting United States Attorney Van de Graaf noted also that this prosecution was part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhood, a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF, 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
