BURLINGTON, Vt. — An Easthampton man linked to nearly 1,100 bags of fentanyl found during a raid on a Manchester, Vermont motel room, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 15 months in federal prison on Monday.
Anthony “Ant” Casiano, 24, was one of three men indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Vermont on charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl in December 2017.
Senior Federal Judge William K. Sessions III said he was willing to accept statements by the defense and prosecution that Casiano was a minor player in the major drug distribution conspiracy and is trying to turn his life around.
Co-defendants Branden Fournier, 24, and Jonathan “Bovice” Resto, 24, both of Holyoke, have pleaded not guilty to the felony indictment.
The trio was moving an estimated 6,000 bags of heroin a week before they were arrested in Bennington County in Vermont, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher said in court papers. The group sold drugs out of Manchester area motel rooms and they also took in firearms, Drescher wrote.
At least four drug sales happened at the Chalet Annex Motel on Depot Street starting in October 2017, court records show.
Fournier was the drug supplier and had taken over after his uncle – another drug dealer — was fatally shot and his cabin torched in Townsend in late October 2017, officials said.
The cases against Fournier and Resto are pending. In January Fournier received a new lawyer, who was given 90 days to get up to speed on the case. The Resto case has seen no recent action in court.
Casiano apologized to the court for his criminal conduct. Casiano told the court he had come to Vermont to be with a new girlfriend and not for drug dealing, but got caught up in the crime with his two friends. He made no money, but was given a place to stay and food at times, the court was told.
Sessions said Casiano has accepted responsibility for his actions, had no adult criminal record, played a minor role and has a future game plan that includes taking care of his grandfather in Springfield.
Sessions said while the federal sentencing guidelines proposed a penalty between 41 to 51 months in prison, the court was willing to follow the defense’s request for a downward departure. Sessions said somewhere between 15 and 21 months would be more in line for Casiano.
Defense lawyer Michael J. Straub said he had hoped the judge would impose a sentence of time served – about 9 months, or possibly some home confinement. He noted Casiano has worked toward his high school degree while in prison.
The judge said Casiano will get credit for his pre-trial detention time. Sessions also will recommend the remainder of the 15-month sentence be served in Massachusetts. The judge agreed to ask the Federal Bureau of Prisons to start preparing for Casiano’s reintegration into society with the proper safety nets in the community.
Sessions told Casiano that he will be on supervised release for three years after he is discharged from prison. The judge reminded Casiano that his initial reaction to the U.S. Probation Office after his arrest was the reason he was detained.
Fournier, Resto and Casiano were arrested at the Four Winds Country Motel on Main Street in Manchester during a Dec. 20, 2017 raid. Besides the roughly 1,092 bags of fentanyl seized from a safe in the rented room, federal, state and Manchester officers found two baggies with about 22 grams of cocaine, a drug ledger and digital scales found, court paper indicate.
A lockbox with $4,180 in U.S. currency – primarily in $20 bills — was found next to Fournier in his bed, FBI Agent Colin Simons wrote in a court affidavit. A judge also authorized federal authorities to conduct searches on five cellphones seized from the three men, court records show.
The case is indirectly linked to Steven Lovely, 43, and Amanda Sanderson, 35, who were gunned down and their cabin torched in Townshend on Oct. 27, 2017, court records show.
State’s Attorney Tracy Shriver has charged Justin Orwat, 46, of Springfield, with two counts of aggravated murder and a first-degree arson charge for burning down the cabin where they were staying on Shirley Circle. He has denied the charges.
Orwat is still awaiting trial in Vermont Superior Court in Brattleboro. No court hearing is scheduled on the state charges.
Once Lovely was out of the picture, one woman reported that she turned to Fournier for her drugs, court records show. Resto was listed as equals in their drug business, Simons wrote.