United States Attorney’s Office Summarizes Accomplishments During the Lapse in Government Funding

Like federal employees across the country, during the lapse in funding that began on October 1, 2025, and ended during the evening of November 12, 2025, the men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont were not paid for the work they performed. Nevertheless, during that time, the office’s accomplishments included the following:

   Cases Charged

•    On October 2, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Tashama Oates, 47, from Connecticut, with conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. If convicted Oates faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 10 years’ imprisonment. On October 14, Oates was ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 15, the Grand Jury returned a superseding indictment charging Dontayveus Thomas, 33, of Florida, with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and possessing a firearm in connection with his drug conspiracy. If convicted Thomas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years’ imprisonment. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 16, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Deandre Watson, 35, from Detroit, Michigan, with possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. If convicted, Watson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 5 years’ imprisonment. Watson had previously been charged by criminal complaint, and on October 10 was ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 16, the Grand Jury also returned an indictment charging Jamelle Willis, 39, from Brooklyn, New York, with possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. If convicted Willis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 5 years’ imprisonment. The government sought Willis’s detention, but he was ordered released on conditions.

•    On October 22, Juan Pablo Espinoza-Morales, 51, of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with transporting nine aliens (from Brazil, Portugal, Guatemala, and Venezuela) into the United States from Canada. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 23, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Isiah Smith, 38, from Brooklyn, New York, with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base. If convicted, Smith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 10 years’ imprisonment. Smith had been previously charged by criminal complaint, and on October 15 was ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 23, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Ezra Dillon, 34, from Burlington, Vermont, with a Hobbs Act robbery in connection with his brandishing a knife while stealing from City Market in Burlington. If convicted, Dillon faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Dillon, who had been previously charged by criminal complaint, was ordered detained pending trial.  

•    On October 29, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Mark Billy Brown, 31, from Springfield, Massachusetts, with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. Brown faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted. Brown was previously charged by criminal complaint, and has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 29, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Raymond Regimbald, 54, from Rutland, Vermont, with various offenses relating to the distribution of cocaine. If convicted, Regimbald faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 30, the Grand Jury returned a superseding indictment charging Maurice Jackson, 33, from Brooklyn, New York, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute more than 280 grams of cocaine base. If convicted Jackson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 30, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Aldrain Ashby, 40, with distribution of fentanyl and that such distribution resulted in the death of one victim, and serious bodily injury to another. Ashby was also charged with distributing fentanyl within 1000 feet of a school in South Burlington. If convicted Ashby faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On October 30, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Mohamed Mubarak, 28, from Kenya, with making a false statement in connection with his attempt to acquire firearms from a licensed firearm dealer. If convicted, Mubarak faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On November 6, the Grand Jury returned a three-count superseding indictment charging Tremaine Knight, 43, from Hartford, Connecticut, with one count of murder-for-hire, one count of distribution of cocaine and fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. If convicted, Knight faces up to a lifetime prison sentence. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On November 6, the Grand Jury returned a two-count indictment charging Haley Morgan, 21, from Burlington, Vermont, with enticing and attempting to entice a minor child to engage in unlawful sexual conduct and with distribution of child sexual abuse materials. If convicted, Morgan faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years’ imprisonment. The government sought Morgan’s detention, but she was ordered released on conditions.

•    On November 6, the Grand Jury returned a six-count indictment charging Ayman Khalifa, 25, from St. Albans, Vermont, with distribution of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. If convicted Khalifa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years’ imprisonment. He has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On November 12, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Guadalupe Vargas, 43, from Arleta, California, with distributing methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug crime. If convicted, Vargas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 10 years’ imprisonment. Vargas has been ordered detained pending trial.

•    On November 12, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Dejaneiro McDaniel, 20, from Lancaster, California, with distribution of cocaine base and fentanyl. If convicted McDaniel faces up to 20 years in prison. He has not had a court appearance yet.

   Sentencings

•    On October 6, Davonne Brown, 42, from Manhattan, New York, was sentenced to a 110-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release following his plea to conspiring to carry a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

•    On October 9, Hussein Iman, 21, from Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced to a 120-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his guilty plea to drug and money laundering offenses.

•    On October 16, Davon Lee, 26, from Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced to a 60-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his guilty plea to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

•    On October 20, Meghan Cox, 40, from Laconia, New Hampshire, was sentenced to a 20-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following her guilty plea to conspiring to commit a robbery by force on a commercial business. (On September 30, 2025, her co-defendant Christopher Boisvert had received a 74-month prison sentence following his guilty plea to bank robbery.)

•    On October 22, Gordon Richard, 77, from Georgia, Vermont, was sentenced to an 18-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

•    On October 22, James Plunkett, 40, recently from Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced to a 78-month prison term, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, following his guilty plea to bank robbery.

•    On October 23, Joseph Cadorette, II, 38, from Williamstown, Vermont, was sentenced to a 40-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his guilty plea to using and maintaining a place to further drug distribution activities.

•    On October 27, Gabriel Lopes Da Silva Santos, 28, from Brazil, was sentenced to a 9-month prison term following his guilty plea to possessing a firearm as an alien in the United States without immigration status.

•    On November 3, Jaquan Rivera, 26, from New Britain, Connecticut, was sentenced to a 48-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl.

   Other Matters

•    The United States also successfully forfeited the Milton residence of Gordon Richard, because he had utilized that location to further the drug crime for which he was sentenced on October 22, as described above.

All indictments and complaints are allegations only. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted. Upon conviction, the Court’s sentencing decisions will be informed by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and Statutory Sentencing Factors.

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