Description: Rutland, Vermont criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with unlawful possession of a firearm as an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

On October 13, 2022, police in Bennington, Vermont, encountered Christopher Morgan while he was carrying a Smith & Wesson 37 revolver in a bag strapped to his torso. The firearm was loaded with five rounds of ammunition and a round in the chamber. In the same bag, Morgan also possessed a small number of glassine bags containing heroin and fentanyl. Morgan admitted to being a user of and addicted to heroin at the time he possessed the firearm.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bennington Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne Smith and Jonathan Ophardt. Mr. Thomas was represented by Allan Sullivan, Esq.

18:922(g)(3)- UNLAWFUL TRANSPORT OF FIREARMS, ETC.- Unlawful user of a controlled substance knowingly in possession of a firearm
(1s)

Outcome: Imprisonment for a term of 12 months and 1 day followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.

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Defendant's Experts:

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