The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Mykhailo Ivanchyn, 21, and Ihor Zelskyi, 27, both from Ukraine, have been charged with illegal entry into the United States.
On April 29, 2025, Ivanchyn and Zelskyi stood before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered them to remain in custody until their detention hearings, which are set for May 2, 2025, for Ivanchyn and May 5, 2025, for Zelskyi.
Court documents report that on April 28, 2025, around 12:30 a.m., United States Border Patrol agents were informed of two individuals with backpacks walking southward near the U.S.-Canada border at Sutton River in Franklin County, Vermont. Border Patrol agents located and detained Ivanchyn and Zelskyi, who were carrying backpacks and wearing water waders. Neither individual had legal status or authorization to be in the United States.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasized that the complaint is based on allegations, and Ivanchyn and Zelskyi are considered innocent until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants could face up to six months in prison, but sentencing would be determined by the Court, guided by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and statutory factors.
The investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol were commended by Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cate is prosecuting the case. Ivanchyn is defended by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson, while Zelskyi is represented by Rick Bothfeld, Esq.
This case is a part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, eradicating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and safeguarding communities from violent crime. The initiative consolidates resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.