Bellows Falls 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 on June 4, 2021, Ferdinand Cruz, aka “Feldi,” 40, of Bellows Falls, Vermont, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 15 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of being a previously convicted felon found in possession of a firearm.  U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Cruz to serve a three (3) year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.  Judge Reiss also ordered the criminal forfeiture of two firearms that were found in Cruz’s possession.  

According to court records and proceedings, in May 2020, the Dover, Vermont Police Department was investigating an unrelated criminal allegation against Cruz.  When officers went to Cruz’s residence to interview him, he was wearing what was later identified as a Ruger LCP .380 caliber pistol on his waistband.  At that time, Cruz was a previously convicted felon, having been convicted of Robbery in the Second Degree in 2003, and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.  When police later went to Cruz’s residence to recover the Ruger LCP .380 caliber pistol, they found a second gun: a Taurus Model PT111 Millennium G2 9mm caliber pistol.  

Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the efforts of the Dover, Vermont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives in the investigation and prosecution of Cruz.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson handled the prosecution of Cruz.  Assistant Federal Public Defender Elizabeth Quinn represented Cruz.  

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.  https://www.justice.gov/psn