St. Albans Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on July 27, 2026, Richard Bailey Jr., 35, of St. Albans, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 22 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Richard Bailey previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on January 9, 2026. According to court records, on June 2, 2025, police in St. Albans, Vermont, received a report of a domestic violence incident in which Bailey was reported to have struck a woman in the face and strangled her approximately six times, leaving her unable to breathe. Police observed bruising on the woman’s neck. Police also were informed that the woman was dropping her and Bailey’s child off at school and that Bailey was on his way there, threatening to shoot them. Police later escorted the woman to her workplace and observed Bailey standing at a nearby intersection. Bailey thereafter fled from police and discarded a fanny pack containing a loaded Sig Sauer pistol with a round chambered, as well as 9.6 grams of cocaine base. Bailey was prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of the incident because on September 15, 2015, Bailey was convicted of felony escape in Chittenden County Superior Court. During the sentencing hearing on July 27, 2026, the Court and the government were informed that Bailey’s felony conviction for escape was expunged after his federal guilty plea but prior to the sentencing hearing. Bailey has a long history of arrests related to domestic violence that resulted in misdemeanor resolutions for simple assault and stalking despite Bailey causing his victims physical harm. After the expungement, Bailey’s only felony conviction is his federal firearm conviction. First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt stated: “Those who terrorize their domestic partners with violence cannot be allowed to possess firearms; the consequences of domestic abusers arming themselves with lethal weapons are too dire to tolerate. I applaud the collaborative investigatory work in this case of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Albans Police Department, and the Burlington Police Department. Their quick actions prevented a potential tragedy. Bailey’s federal conviction now ensures that he will be prohibited from possessing firearms regardless of any future expungements of state convictions.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nate Burris. Bailey was represented by Samuel Ansell of the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.