Nikolas Kerest U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Timothy Gabriel, a 31-year-old resident of the Rutland area, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The United States District Court in Burlington handed down the sentence following Gabriel's guilty plea. Senior U.S. District Judge William Sessions III also imposed a three-year term of supervised release after Gabriel's prison sentence. The federal sentence will run concurrently with state sentences Gabriel is serving on related and unrelated cases. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in October 2023.
Court records reveal that on October 17, 2023, a Vermont State Police cruiser was stolen from a residence in Rutland and later found parked behind a downtown business. A police-issued Sig Sauer rifle had been removed from the vehicle. Surveillance footage identified Timothy Gabriel exiting the cruiser with what appeared to be a rifle. DNA evidence linked him to blood found inside the stolen car. It was discovered that Gabriel traded the stolen rifle for drugs, and law enforcement recovered it near U.S. Route 7 close to Bennington.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised the investigative efforts of the Vermont State Police, Rutland Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Gabriel was represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples prosecuted the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.
