United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BURLINGTON, VT. - Steven W. Derr, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on May 5, 2011, Anthony Carosella, 26, of Addison County, was sentenced to 120 months in prison, having pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and 100 grams or more of heroin, conspiracy to obstruct commerce by armed robbery, and conspiracy to burglarize pharmacies. Senior United States District Judge J. Garvan Murtha, sitting in Brattleboro, Vermont, also sentenced Carosella to 4 years of supervised release following his prison sentence, and ordered that he pay $98,460.62 in restitution to the businesses that suffered loss as a result of his crimes.

According to court documents, in the fall of 2008, Carosella participated in a conspiracy, led by individuals from the Bronx, New York, to distribute heroin and crack cocaine in Vermont.

During that time, he also held up a convenience store in East Middlebury at gun point, and stole pharmaceuticals from a series of pharmacies in Addison and Chittenden Counties.

For his crimes, Carosella faced a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 60 months in prison. Under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, the recommended term of imprisonment was 100-125 months. In sentencing Carosella, Judge Murtha noted, among other things, the need to protect the public from further crimes committed by Carosella.

The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Drug Enforcement Administration and local police departments in Vergennes, Middlebury, and Essex, Vermont.