Burlington, Vermont - The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Tan Prazeres, 43, of Danbury, Connecticut, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to 27 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prazeres had previously pled guilty to the offense.
According to court records, on Feb. 10, 2022, Prazeres, a previously convicted felon, possessed a gun in Bennington, Vermont. That day, members of the Bennington Police Department responded to a report of suspected drug overdoses by a man and a woman inside of a car on Main Street. When an officer tapped on the driver’s side window, he saw a woman inside of the vehicle holding a glass pipe in her hand. The officer also saw a man seated in the passenger seat, later identified as Prazeres, struggling to remain conscious. Prazeres identified himself with a fake name and appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Prazeres later exited the car and was transported to a local hospital. The next day, investigators obtained a State of Vermont warrant to search the vehicle and found a Raven.25 caliber pistol in a men’s jacket that covered the center console of the vehicle. The responding officer’s body worn camera video footage showed Prazeres grabbing at the jacket that contained the firearm during Prazeres’ encounter with the police.
The case was investigated by the Bennington Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Prazeres was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth, Esq. The prosecutors were Assistant United States Attorneys Kimberly Ang and Zachary Stendig.
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 https://www.justice.gov/psn
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys