Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Michael Wilson, a 24-year-old Jamaican national from Kingston, has been charged in federal court with possession of a firearm while being an alien unlawfully present in the United States. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Wilson appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on August 26, 2025, and was ordered detained pending trial.
Court records indicate that on June 28, 2025, near Dorset Street in South Burlington, Vermont, Wilson shot another individual following a dispute that began at a bar the previous night. The victim was shot in the shoulder. After the incident, Wilson left Vermont and traveled to Connecticut where he was arrested.
The State of Vermont initially charged Wilson with attempted second-degree murder and reckless endangerment on June 30, 2025. However, on August 25, 2025, state authorities withdrew their request to hold him without bail and released him from custody.
A federal criminal complaint filed on July 1, 2025 states that Wilson arrived in the U.S. as a visitor in June 2023 but overstayed his visa and did not have legal status when he possessed the firearm used in the shooting. When released from state custody after a federal arrest warrant had been issued, he was transferred to federal custody.
“This federal prosecution is an example of the vigilance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, working closely with the United States Border Patrol, to protect the public by enforcing federal firearms laws that prohibit the possession of firearms by foreign nationals who are here unlawfully,” said Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that these are allegations only and Wilson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted of this charge he faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment; sentencing would be determined by district court based on advisory guidelines and statutory factors.
Agencies involved in investigating or assisting include ATF and Border Patrol as well as local law enforcement such as South Burlington Police Department, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Winooski Police Department and Windsor Connecticut Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman is prosecuting; Assistant Federal Public Defender Charles N. Curlett Jr., represents Wilson.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice focused on combating illegal immigration and transnational crime through coordinated efforts across multiple agencies including OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
