Franklin County Man Sentenced To Prison For Mailing Threatening Communication

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Jeremy Robitaille, 29, of Franklin County, Vermont, was sentenced on December 16, 2014, in United States District Court in Brattleboro, Vermont, to serve a term of 36 months imprisonment and a two-year period of supervised release following his conviction on one count of mailing a threatening communication, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 876(c).  Judge J. Garvan Murtha also ordered Robitaille to pay a $100 special assessment.

According to court records and proceedings, on April 22, 2013, Robitaille, who was then in prison serving a lengthy sentence following his conviction in Vermont state court for assault and robbery, mailed a letter addressed to the Burlington District Courthouse on Cherry Street in Burlington.  This letter contained a threat to injure all of the clerks and judges working in the courthouse.  As a result of the threatening letter, the courthouse had to be searched thoroughly by police with bomb-sniffing dogs to ensure that it was safe.  Robitaille, who had a significant criminal history, told law enforcement that he sent the letter in an attempt to secure a transfer from a facility where he was not happy. 

United States Attorney Coffin commended the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police in the investigation and prosecution of Robitaille.

The prosecution of  Robitaille was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson.  Robitaille was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven L. Barth.