U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Vermont
United States Courthouse and Federal Building
Post Office Box 570 (802) 951-6725
Burlington, Vermont 05402-0570 Fax: (802) 951-6540

PRESS RELEASE
BURLINGTON, VERMONT December 9, 2008

FRANK SARGENT PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY TO BRIBE A PRISON GUARD AT THE ADDISON COUNTY JAIL

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on December 5, 2008, Frank Sargent, 40, of Windsor, Vermont, pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe an Addison County Jail guard while he was detained at the Addison County Jail for violations of his conditions of supervised release. The Addison County Jail houses federal detainees pursuant to a contract with the United States Marshal’s Service. Sargent faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000.00 fine.

According to court records, in April 2006, Sargent was detained at the Addison County Jail on an alleged violation of his conditions of supervised release. Sargent was on supervised release as a result of his conviction for federal drug trafficking offenses in the 1990's. He had previously been detained at the Addison County Jail related to those offenses. In 2006, Sargent faced additional jail time, in part as a result of allegations of financial improprieties involving a woman with whom Sargent had a romantic relationship. Between 2004 and 2006, this woman had loaned or invested over $300,000 with Sargent. In July 2006, Sargent was also charged with state fraud crimes in Mississippi in connection with work he had done following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Sargent admitted to violating supervised release by committing bankruptcy fraud and was incarcerated at the Addison County Jail pending sentencing.

According to court records, Sargent believed that statements by this woman, an alleged victim of his fraud, would affect his sentence for the supervised release violation. Understanding that this woman wanted to have personal contact with him because of her strong emotional feelings for him, Sargent sought to influence her by paying a Jail guard to allow her to visit the Jail outside of regular visiting hours for conjugal visits. Court records also reveal that after the conjugal visits began, Sargent received over $40,000 in payments from this woman to help him, including over $30,000 to pay off debts in Mississippi to get the Mississippi fraud charges dismissed and $9,500 in cash on January 9, 2007. As part of his guilty plea, Sargent admitted that he paid an Addison County Jail guard to allow this woman to visit him at the Jail outside of regular visiting hours and procedures. The Addison County Jail guard, who remains under investigation, is no longer employed at the Addison County Jail.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Heather E. Ross have been assigned to prosecute this case. Paul Volk, Esq. represents Frank Sargent.