Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Mykhailo Ivanchyn, age 21, and Ihor Zelskyi, age 27, of the Ukraine, have been charged by criminal complaint with illegally entering the United States.
On April 29, 2025, Ivanchyn and Zelskyi appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that they be held in custody pending their detention hearings. Ivanchyn’s detention hearing is scheduled for May 2, 2025. Zelskyi’s detention hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2025.
According to court records, at approximately 12:30 a.m. on April 28, 2025, United States Border Patrol agents were alerted of at least two individuals wearing backpacks and walking south near the international border between the United States and Canada along the Sutton River in Franklin County, Vermont. Border Patrol agents responded and apprehended Ivanchyn and Zelskyi, who were wearing backpacks and water waders. Neither defendant had legal status in the United States or authorization to reside in the United States.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Ivanchyn and Zelskyi are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The defendants face up to 6 months’ imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cate. Ivanchyn is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson. Zelskyi is represented by Rick Bothfeld, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).