Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Daniel King, 41, of Westminster, Vermont, was sentenced yesterday to serve 66 months in prison for conspiracy to obstruct interstate commerce by robbery, a violation on the Hobbs Act. Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford ordered King’s sentencing to begin yesterday and ordered King to serve a three-year term of supervised release after his prison term.
According to court records, King forced his way into the Westminster man’s residence, intending to rob the man of heroin and money believed to be the proceeds of heroin sales. King picked his target because he believed the occupant of the house was an easy mark. King also recruited an accomplice, Jacquelyn Fougere, 29, of Springfield, Vermont, to help him with the robbery. King obtained supplies for the robbery (including zip ties to use as handcuffs and a fake firearm), and King planned with Fougere to force his way into the man’s home, restrain him and rob him. On the morning of March 14, 2022, King answered the door to the man’s residence holding the fake firearm. The homeowner then fired a firearm at King, striking him. King and Fougere then fled the scene.
King’s sentence was informed by the United States’ advisory Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account the defendant’s criminal history. King’s significant criminal history dates back to 1998 and includes felony convictions in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
Fougere pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct commerce by robbery. Fougere’s sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for March 3, 2023.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest praised the investigative efforts of the Vermont State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt is the prosecutor. Devin McLaughlin, Esq. Fougere is represented by Robert S. Behrens, Esq.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On 26 May 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy that strengthens PSN based on these core principles: build trust and legitimacy in our communities, support community-based organizations that help prevent violence in the first place down, focused and strategic arrangement. implementation priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn
