John Ryea, a 41-year-old resident of Rutland, Vermont, has been sentenced to approximately two and one-half months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. This decision was handed down by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III on December 2, 2024. Ryea's sentencing follows his guilty plea for possessing a stolen firearm after being previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime related to domestic violence.
Court records indicate that Ryea had a prior conviction from November 30, 2022, for domestic violence. In that incident, he admitted to striking his then live-in girlfriend in the jaw. At the time of his latest offense involving the stolen firearm, he was still under probation from this earlier case.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest praised the cooperative efforts of various law enforcement agencies involved in this case. "The collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Vermont Drug Task Force" were commended.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Owyang prosecuted the case while Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels represented Ryea.
This legal proceeding is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement and community members. The program emphasizes fostering trust within communities and supporting organizations that aim to prevent violence before it occurs. It also focuses on setting strategic enforcement priorities and measuring outcomes as part of its comprehensive approach launched on May 26, 2021.
For further details about Project Safe Neighborhoods and its objectives, more information can be found at Justice.gov/PSN.