Department of Justice

Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on September 20, 2023, Christopher Morgan, 20, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Chief Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford of the U.S. District Court to a sentence of 1 year and 1 day in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Morgan previously pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm as an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

According to court records, 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.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.