Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Ivan Carmona, aka “Flacco,” 32, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Rutland on Dec. 13, following his guilty pleas to assaulting a federal agent and brandishing a firearm during the assault. Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford sentenced Carmona to 108 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.

According to court records, Carmona was wanted by state and local authorities based on his alleged involvement in multiple crimes and his flight from law enforcement on Nov. 17, 2021. U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents from the Newport Station were assisting in the pursuit, based on Carmona’s proximity to, and possible crossing of, the international border during his flight. USBP agents located Carmona and a companion near North Troy, Vermont, on Nov. 18, 2021, walking along Bear Mountain Road, and stopped them to investigate. Upon being asked for identification, Carmona fled from the encounter, and one of the USBP agents pursued him on foot. During the pursuit, Carmona drew a loaded handgun and pointed it at the pursuing agent.

Several law enforcement agencies participated in the pursuit and apprehension of Carmona, including USBP; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Air & Marine Operations, a division of Customs and Border Protection; the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department; the Vermont State Police; the Newport Police Department; and the Vermont Drug Task Force. 

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest stated, “Our law enforcement partners make our communities safer every day. They deserve our respect and support. When law enforcement officers are assaulted while doing their jobs to enhance public safety, this office will respond with the full extent of our resources, as this case demonstrates.” U.S. Attorney Kerest also commended the mutually supportive efforts of the agencies that led to the safe apprehension of an armed fugitive.

“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect and defend our communities from violent criminals on a daily basis, and all too often those acts of violence are directed against them,” said Special Agent in Charge James M. Ferguson of the ATF Boston Field Division. “This sentencing reaffirms the ATF’s commitment to hold violent members of society accountable and send to prison those who commit crimes against the brave men and women who dedicate themselves to upholding and enforcing the law.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher prosecuted the case. Carmona is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls.

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.

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