Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 23, 2024, Javon Calderon, 21, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 85 months’ imprisonment to be followed by an 8-year term of supervised release. Calderon previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court records, Calderon and co-defendant Christopher Morgan spent substantial time in Bennington, Vermont, in 2022 distributing fentanyl and cocaine. During a portion of that time, Calderon and Morgan were hosted by co-defendants and Bennington residents Shavonne Doucette and Kyle Winnie. Calderon and Morgan employed locals to sell drugs for them. Doucette and Winnie also occasionally sold drugs for Calderon and Morgan.
In early September 2022, inside the Doucette/Winnie residence, Calderon and Morgan threatened with firearms and assaulted one such local distributor over a drug debt. Portions of the assault were captured on video and depicted Calderon striking and threatening the victim and holding a firearm to the victim’s neck while making threats. The video also depicted Morgan pointing a firearm at the victim and issuing threats. The victim sustained scalp injuries that required staples.
Like Calderon, Morgan has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Morgan’s sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2025. Doucette and Winnie have pleaded guilty to making their residence available for the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine. Doucette’s sentencing is set for January 21, 2025, and Winnie’s sentencing is set for February 18, 2025.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the HSI Special Response Team, the Vermont State Police, the Bennington Police Department, the Bennington County Sheriff’s Department, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corinne Smith. Calderon was represented by Devin McKnight, Esq; Morgan is represented by Peter Langrock, Esq.; Doucette is represented by Brooks McArthur, Esq.; Winnie is represented by Jordana Levine, Esq.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.