Richard Bailey Jr., 35, of St. Albans, Vermont, was sentenced on July 27 to 22 months in prison and a three-year term of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. Bailey had previously pleaded guilty to the charge on January 9.
Court records show that on June 2, 2025, police responded to a domestic violence incident in St. Albans where Bailey was reported to have struck and strangled a woman multiple times. Police observed bruising on the woman’s neck and were told that Bailey had threatened her and their child with a firearm while she was dropping off their child at school. After police escorted the woman to her workplace, they saw Bailey nearby; he fled from officers and discarded a fanny pack containing a loaded Sig Sauer pistol with one round chambered as well as 9.6 grams of cocaine base.
At the time of this incident, Bailey was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his previous felony escape conviction in Chittenden County Superior Court in September 2015. During sentencing, it was noted that this state felony conviction had been expunged after his federal guilty plea but before sentencing; his only remaining felony is now his federal firearm conviction. The court also heard that Bailey has an extensive history of arrests related to domestic violence, resulting in misdemeanor convictions for simple assault and stalking.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt said, “Those who terrorize their domestic partners with violence cannot be allowed to possess firearms; the consequences of domestic abusers arming themselves with lethal weapons are too dire to tolerate. I applaud the collaborative investigatory work in this case of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Albans Police Department, and the Burlington Police Department. Their quick actions prevented a potential tragedy. Bailey’s federal conviction now ensures that he will be prohibited from possessing firearms regardless of any future expungements of state convictions.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nate Burris; Samuel Ansell represented Bailey through the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont enforces federal criminal laws and handles civil litigation on behalf of the United States while supporting community safety through partnerships with law enforcement agencies across Vermont from offices in Burlington and Rutland, according to its official website.