Rutland Man Sentenced for Stolen Firearm Offense

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Nicholas Karov, 40, of Rutland, Vermont was sentenced today to a 33-month term of imprisonment following his guilty plea to possession of a stolen firearm. Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Karov to serve a three-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

According to court records, on October 28, 2022, Karov reached into the open window of a Ford F-250 parked on Wales Street in Rutland, Vermont and removed a CMMG Banshee .45 caliber AR-style pistol with extended magazine from inside the truck. The owner of the vehicle and pistol approached and yelled to Karov, at which point Karov fled with the pistol on foot. The owner of the pistol tackled Karov, disarmed him of the stolen pistol, and detained him until law enforcement arrived at the scene. Karov had over 30 pending state court criminal cases at the time of the offense.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory and collaborative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Rutland County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Ophardt and Ray Sun prosecuted the case. Karov is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.