Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that last week a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jeremy Digby, 40, of South Royalton, with possession of an unregistered firearm, specifically, a multi-caliber, AR-style rifle with a barrel of less than 16 inches in length. Digby was arrested for the offense on October 12, 2020 and arraigned today in Burlington before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy. Digby pleaded not guilty to the charge and was ordered held in custody pending a hearing on his detention or release pending trial, which was set for October 16, 2020.

According to a court filing, on October 2, 2020, the Vermont State Police, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, executed a search warrant at Digby’s residence in South Royalton. During the search, law enforcement recovered evidence of drug use and 43 firearms, including the high powered weapon charged in the indictment. On October 12, 2020, law enforcement went back to Digby’s residence to arrest him on the federal indictment. At that time, investigators recovered two additional firearms. In a post-arrest statement, Digby told law enforcement that for the past couple of years, he had regularly used methamphetamine. Law enforcement also indicated that in recent months, they have received regular complaints from citizens about Digby’s drug use and about gunshots coming from the area of Digby’s residence.

If convicted of this offense, Digby faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine. The actual sentence however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charges in the indictment is merely an accusation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy Fuller. Jeremy Digby is represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting firearm use and possession crimes; prioritizes prosecuting persons who make false statements when attempting to obtain firearms; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concerning persons who attempt to obtain firearms illegally; coordinates responses to persons prevented from obtaining firearms for mental health reasons; and ensures the use of modern intelligence tools and technology to focus on the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.

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