Joseph Vaillancourt, Possession of Unregistered Silencer, Vermont 2024

Burlington, Vermont – White River Junction man, Joseph Vaillancourt, 42, has been charged with possessing a silencer that was neither registered to him nor identified by a serial number.

According to court records, on October 18, 2024, Hartford, Vermont police located the silencer along with thirteen firearms and over 1,200 rounds of ammunition during the execution of a search of Vaillancourt’s residence pursuant to an unrelated state warrant.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) identified the silencer as subject to the National Firearms Act. The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Vaillancourt is charged with possessing a silencer that was neither registered to him nor identified by a serial number.

On December 16, 2024, Vaillancourt appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Vaillancourt be detained pending further proceedings later this week.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Vaillancourt is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Vaillancourt faces up to ten years in prison if convicted.

The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the ATF, the Hartford Police Department, and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Related Federal Cases