Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Anthony Seagroves, 32, of Hinesburg, Vermont, has been sentenced to 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentence was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss on December 12, 2025.
Seagroves pleaded guilty on August 25, 2025, to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon during an incident that occurred on October 14, 2024. According to court documents, he was found in two different stolen vehicles within the last two weeks of October 2024. On each occasion, Seagroves had a loaded firearm within reach despite being legally prohibited from having one due to his previous felony burglary conviction.
The first incident took place on October 14, when Burlington Police officers found Seagroves and others slouched over inside a running car parked at the Fletcher Free Library. Officers discovered the vehicle had been reported stolen. Upon removing Seagroves from the driver’s seat, they saw a black and green pistol where he had been sitting. The weapon was identified as a privately made firearm—commonly called a “ghost gun”—and was loaded with four rounds of PMC brand 9-millimeter ammunition.
After being charged and released following this event, Seagroves was involved in another incident about a week later. On October 23, Hinesburg Police were investigating another stolen vehicle report after its owner located it in Hinesburg. The owner saw Seagroves exiting the passenger seat soon after finding the vehicle. Officers later found a loaded Sig Sauer P365 9-millimeter pistol on the passenger floorboard; this firearm had been reported stolen from Starksboro just one day prior.
First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher recognized the efforts of federal and local agencies involved in investigating these incidents: "I commend the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Burlington Police Department, and the Hinesburg Police Department."
Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill prosecuted the case while Devin McLaughlin represented Seagroves.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative focused on combating illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime through coordination among several Department of Justice programs including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
