Weathersfield Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing Firearms in Vermont and Distributing Drugs in New Hampshire

BURLINGTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated that on October 14, 2026, Marshall Gagne, 35, of Weathersfield, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford to a term of 120 months' imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. On June 10, 2026, Gagne pleaded guilty to possession of firearms as a convicted felon and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute them.

According to court records, Gagne was arrested in a hotel room in Claremont, New Hampshire on May 19, 2025, where evidence indicated that Gagne and six occupants were destroying drugs as the Claremont Police Department pried open the hotel room door with a crowbar. Gagne was carrying more than $11,000 in cash in a backpack with fentanyl residue on the shoulder strap and DNA evidence later revealed that he was armed with a handgun found in the hotel room. The next day, on May 20, 2025, Vermont State Police executed a search warrant at the home where Gagne was staying in Weathersfield, Vermont. During the search, law enforcement found in a camping van thousands more dollars in additional drug proceeds along with 13 firearms, including un-serialized privately manufactured "ghost" guns, a silencer with the serial number scratched off, and ammunition and gun parts, along with the box for the handgun Gagne was using in the hotel the night before. Gagne was previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition. Gagne later coached a witness to lie to law enforcement by trying to claim that he had sold the camping van to a drug dealer who had subsequently been fatally shot. But DNA evidence found only Gagne's DNA on the seized firearms, rather than the deceased drug dealer.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the FBI, and the Claremont (NH) Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana E. Hill. Gagne was represented by Federal Public Defender Alejandro Fernandez.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.