Hinesburg Man Charged with Possessing Ammunition as a Convicted Felon

Burlington, Vermont - The United States Attorney's Office stated that Anthony Seagroves, 32, of Hinesburg, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with Possessing Ammunition as a Convicted Felon.

On October 31, 2024, Seagroves appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Seagroves be detained pending a detention hearing to be held tomorrow, November 1, 2024.

According to court records, Seagroves was encountered by Burlington Police Department Officers on the afternoon of October 14, 2024, while the officers were conducting a welfare check on multiple people slouched over inside a running car parked at the Fletcher Free Library. The officers learned that the vehicle had been reported stolen. While removing Seagroves from the driver's seat of the vehicle, officers observed a black and green pistol on the seat where Seagroves had been sitting. The pistol was determined to be a Privately Made Firearm (colloquially referred to as a "ghost gun"), which was loaded with four rounds of PMC brand 9-millimeter ammunition. In May of 2019, Seagroves had been convicted of a felony offense, and was therefore prohibited from possessing the ammunition located within the PMF.

Also according to court records, on October 23, 2024, the Hinesburg Police Department was investigating a report of a stolen vehicle, which the owner had located in Hinesburg. The owner identified Seagroves as the person seen exiting the passenger side of the vehicle shortly after the owner had located it. The owner consented to a search of the vehicle, and Hinesburg Police located a loaded Sig Sauer P365 9-millimeter pistol on the passenger floorboard.

The United States Attorney's Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Seagroves is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Seagroves faces up to fifteen years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Burlington Police Department, and the Hinesburg Police Department.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt. Seagroves is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

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 Justice.gov/PSN.