Matthew Fidler, Heroin and Methamphetamine Trafficking, Vermont 2022

A Williston, Vermont man has been sentenced to 100 months in prison for his role in a heroin and methamphetamine trafficking operation.

Matthew Fidler, 35, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, on June 7, 2022, to serve 100 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Fidler to serve a five-year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.

According to court records and proceedings, on February 9, 2021, officers with the South Burlington Police Department encountered Fidler in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in South Burlington.

When law enforcement attempted to confirm Fidler’s identity because he was the subject of two outstanding arrest warrants, Fidler attempted to flee.

After a brief chase, Fidler was subdued and taken into custody.

During a search of Fidler’s person incident to arrest, law enforcement found a loaded handgun and distribution quantities of what was determined to be methamphetamine and heroin.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the South Burlington Police Department, and the State of Vermont Department of Public Safety, Forensic Laboratory, in the investigation and prosecution of Fidler.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson handled the prosecution of Fidler. Brooks G. McArthur represented Fidler.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.

PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.

Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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