Six Charged in Cocaine and Fentanyl Conspiracy
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that six defendants have been indicted in Burlington on charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. Specifically, those charged in the superseding indictment are Tyler Orvis, 40, of Milton Vermont, Christopher Purvis, 27 of Hartford, Connecticut, Alexis Sutton, 23 of Windsor, Connecticut, Russell Mitchell, 26, of Chesapeake, Virginia, Sierra Fuentes, 30, of Bristol, Connecticut, and Dorothy Wilde, 55, of Hyde Park, Vermont.
To date, all six defendants have been arraigned. Most recently, Christopher Purvis appeared in the District of Vermont on October 4, 2023. Previously, on August 11, 2023, Tyler Orvis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl before United States District Judge Christina Reiss. Orvis is detained pending sentencing, which is scheduled to occur on December 5, 2023. Purvis, Mitchell, Fuentes, and Wilde are detained pending trial. Sutton was released on conditions. A trial date has not yet been set.
According to court records, from September 2022 through December 30, 2022, the conspiracy involved the distribution of cocaine and fentanyl in Burlington, Vermont and elsewhere. The defendants also used a residence in Milton, Vermont to store drug packaging materials.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted of a crime. As presently charged, if convicted, the six defendants face a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $1,000,000. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the federal district court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and statutory sentencing factors.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest thanked the DEA Burlington Office, and acknowledged significant assistance from the Milton Police Department, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, the Morristown Police Department, the DEA Hartford Office, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Bureau of Prisons.
Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Stendig is handling the case for the Government. Mark Kaplan, Esq. represents Tyler Orvis, Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels represents Christopher Purvis, Richard Bothfeld, Esq. represents Alexis Sutton, William A. Vasiliou, II, Esq. represents Sierra Fuentes, and John Mabie, Esq. represents Dorothy Wilde.
