Frank Sargent Sentenced for Bribing a Prison Guard at the Addison County Jail

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, Frank Sargent, 40, formerly of Windsor, Vermont, was sentenced to 21 months in prison, 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment for bribing at prison guard when he was incarcerated at the Addison County Jail in 2006 and 2007. According to court records, in 2006, Sargent was on supervised release as part of a sentence for drug dealing in the mid-1990's when he allegedly violated his conditions of release by engaging in a number of fraudulent activities. At the same time, in July 2006, the State of Mississippi had brought fraud charges against Sargent in connection with work he had done following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the Summer of 2006, Sargent admitted to bankruptcy fraud and was being held at the Addison County Jail awaiting sentencing.

According to court records, Sargent believed that statements by one of the alleged victims of his fraud, a woman with whom he had a prior romantic relationship, would affect his sentence for the supervised release violation. Understanding that this woman wanted to have personal contact with him because of her strong emotional feelings for him, Sargent sought to influence her by paying a Jail guard to allow her to visit the Jail outside of regular visiting hours for conjugal visits. Court records also suggest that after the conjugal visits began, Sargent received over $40,000 in payments from this woman to help him, including over $30,000 to pay off debts in Mississippi to get fraud charges in dismissed. As part of his guilty plea, Sargent admitted that he paid an Addison County Jail guard to allow this woman to visit him at the Jail outside of regular visiting hours and procedures. The Addison County Jail guard is no longer employed at the Addison County Jail.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Acting United States Attorney Paul J. Van de Graaf and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather E. Ross prosecuted the case. Paul Volk, Esq. represented Frank Sargent.