Vermont Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Firearm Possession

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Timothy W. Bentley, age 47, of Saint Albans, Vermont, pled guilty today to being a felon in unlawful possession of a firearm.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett.

As part of his plea, Bentley admitted that on May 9, 2019, he entered a hardware store in Chazy, New York, took a Mossberg 590 Shockwave firearm from the wall display behind a counter, secreted that firearm in his pants, and walked around the store with a distinctive limp (because the firearm was in his pants).  He then left in a car.  Bentley has been in custody since his arrest on May 17, 2019.  Agents recovered the stolen firearm.

Bentley is prohibited from possessing the firearm as a result of a 2011 conviction in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, for aiding and abetting a bank robbery

As a result of this conviction, Bentley faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. on December 8, 2020.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer.