July 1, 2009

RUTLAND MAN SENTENCED TO 51 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ATTEMPTED COCAINE POSSESSION

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Mark Tittemore, 42, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions, III, to 51 months incarceration and three years of supervised release for attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute.

According to court records, in April of 2006 Tittemore was apprehended by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Southern Vermont Task Force in the parking lot of McDonald’s in Middlebury, Vermont, after attempting to purchase 500 grams of powder cocaine for $11,000. Tittemore attempted to purchase the cocaine from a confidential informant who was cooperating with law enforcement. When Tittemore produced funds to purchase the cocaine from the informant, he was apprehended by agents and officers who were monitoring the scene. Prior to this incident, Tittemore had been involved in the trafficking of powder cocaine for approximately 12 years.

Tittemore was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 27, 2007 and surrendered to the United States Marshals Service on October 25, 2007. Tittemore pled guilty on April 21, 2008 to an Information charging him with attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it.

This case was investigated by the Southern Vermont Drug Task Force and the DEA. Acting United States Attorney Paul J. Van de Graaf, commends those agencies for their work. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy J. Creswell. Tittemore was represented by Mark A. Kaplan.