Burlington Man Sentenced for Illegally Carrying Loaded Firearm on Church Street

A Burlington man was sentenced May 6, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont to 12 months and one day in prison for illegally possessing a loaded firearm on Church Street.

The defendant, identified in the Justice Department release as the Burlington man, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On Dec. 18, 2024, law enforcement encountered him on Church Street in possession of a loaded firearm while he was prohibited from doing so because of a prior felony conviction.

The sentence includes three years of supervised release following imprisonment.

The case affects individuals with prior felony convictions statewide who are subject to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), the federal statute that bars firearm possession by those with qualifying criminal records. Vermont federal prosecutions under this statute in recent years have numbered in the low dozens annually, according to patterns in U.S. Attorney’s Office releases for the District of Vermont.

The sentencing shifts the defendant from pretrial status to immediate incarceration. The 12-month-and-one-day term exceeds the standard 12-month maximum for some misdemeanors and triggers a permanent federal firearms prohibition that can only be restored through rare executive or judicial relief processes.

Supervised release begins upon completion of the prison term, with any violation exposing the defendant to additional penalties up to the original statutory maximum.

Downstream, the Bureau of Prisons must designate a facility for the sentence within weeks. The U.S. Probation Office for the District of Vermont will assume oversight for the three-year supervised release period, during which the defendant must comply with standard conditions that include no new crimes and no possession of firearms.

The conviction also requires the defendant to update firearms-related records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System through the FBI’s NICS section. Local law enforcement agencies in Chittenden County gain a finalized federal conviction record that can be referenced in any future encounters or background checks.

This marks the latest felon-in-possession sentencing from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. The office has pursued such cases under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) following arrests in public locations including downtown Burlington. The statute originated in the Gun Control Act of 1968 and was expanded by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 to strengthen prohibitions and background check requirements.