Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on June 26, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Alex Dwayne Bignall, 30, of Jamaica, with lying about his immigration status while attempting to purchase a firearm, and attempting to receive a firearm knowing that such receipt would be a felony.
Bignall entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on August 8, 2025 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Bignall be released on conditions.
According to court records, in the summer of 2023, Bignall, who did not have legal status in the United States, attempted to buy a Taurus 9mm firearm from a federal firearms licensee in Vermont. In connection with that attempted purchase, Bignall filled out a form, swearing under oath that he was not an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States. At the time of the attempted firearm purchase, Bignall lacked legal status in the United States. Weeks before he attempted to purchase the firearm, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services denied an application Bignall had submitted for immigration benefits, and informed him he was no longer authorized to remain in the United States.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Bignall is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Bignall faces up to 15 years if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The prosecutor is Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Flynn. Bignall is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
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).