Skip to main content
Press Release

Armed New York Resident Sentenced on Drug Conspiracy Charge in Vermont

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Vermont

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Mark Anthony Eusebio, 28, of New York, New York, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 30 months of incarceration following his guilty plea to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base.  Chief District Judge Geoffrey Crawford also ordered that Eusebio be subject to three years of supervised release following his sentence of incarceration.  

In September 2020, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned an indictment charging Eusebio with conspiring to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base and distributing 28 grams or more of cocaine base.  In April 2021, the United States filed a plea agreement it had reached with Eusebio, allowing him to plead to possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine base, and Eusebio pleaded guilty to the drug offense on April 19, 2021.  Eusebio faced up to 20 years of imprisonment for the crime to which he pleaded.  Eusebio appeared before the Court for sentencing today, and the Court ordered that Eusebio remain released—subject to conditions of supervision—pending his self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons for service of his 30-month sentence of imprisonment.

According to court records, Eusebio (who was known as “Slim” to drug customers) was involved in a conspiracy with others—including Kelvin Espiritusanto—to transport large amounts of cocaine into Vermont for further distribution.  Eusebio and Espiritusanto used a Toyota Rav4 modified with a post-market locking “trap” compartment to transport the cocaine and the proceeds from its distribution between New York and Vermont.  Eusebio frequently delivered the controlled substances personally, but he would often employ Espiritusanto as a runner in his place to bring the drugs to Vermont.  Eusebio was arrested in Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 21, 2020, while driving the Toyota Rav4.  At that time, he possessed approximately 75 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as “crack cocaine”), approximately 10 grams of heroin, and a loaded Ruger handgun.  Espiritusanto is currently a fugitive.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigative efforts of the Vermont State Police’s Vermont Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and noted his appreciation for the important assistance of the Massachusetts State Police.  “Firearm-possessing drug traffickers create a significant risk of violence in our communities while they peddle poison for profit.  The United States Attorney’s Office, working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of armed drug traffickers, like Mark Anthony Eusebio, to hold them accountable for their criminal conduct.”     

Eusebio was represented by attorney Mark Kaplan, Esq.  The prosecutor was Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Lasher.

Updated October 22, 2021

Topics
Drug Trafficking
Opioids