Mark Triolo Sentenced for Robbery

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Mark Triolo, 47, was sentenced on February 11, 2020 to 75 months in jail by Judge Christina Reiss in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont.  Triolo had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery.  Judge Reiss also imposed a three-year period of supervised release to be served after Triolo completes his jail sentence.

On May 1, 2018, Triolo robbed the Small City Market in Vergennes at gunpoint and fled the store with approximately $6115 in cash.  At the time of this robbery, Triolo was wanted on a parole violation in Texas, and he was a suspect in a recent robbery in Queensbury, New York.  On the evening of May 4, 2018, law enforcement was notified of two more armed robberies: one at the Ascutney Sunoco gas station in Weathersfield and a second armed robbery at the Allen Brothers Farm Market in Westminster.

On May 4, 2018, law enforcement encountered Triolo at a gas station in Brattleboro and attempted to take him into custody.  Triolo fled the scene at a high rate of speed.  Triolo was later located on the Black Mountain Road in Brattleboro.  Officers began to give verbal commands to Triolo ordering him to stop and show his hands.  Triolo did not respond to those commands and officers subsequently fired multiple rounds striking him.  Triolo was taken into custody with officers rendering medical aid until rescue personnel arrived.  Triolo has since recovered.  A search of the vehicle driven by Triolo recovered a pellet gun which was similar in appearance to an actual semi-automatic pistol and similar to the weapon used in the robberies.  

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office later determined that the officers involved in the shooting were justified in their use of force against Triolo.

At sentencing, the government urged the court to impose a sentence of 144 months, in part because of the seriousness of the offense and the danger Triolo poses to the public. In addition, at the time of the crimes in Vermont, Triolo was on parole escape status and had been placed on parole after serving 17 years in prison in Texas for crimes similar to those which he committed in Vermont.  The court declined and imposed a within-the-guidelines sentence of 75 months.

This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police, the Vergennes Police Department, the Brattleboro Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Wendy L. Fuller represented the government.  Triolo was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender David McColgin.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting firearm use and possession crimes; prioritizes prosecuting persons who make false statements when attempting to obtain firearms; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concerning persons who attempt to obtain firearms illegally; coordinates responses to persons prevented from obtaining firearms for mental health reasons; and ensures the use of modern intelligence tools and technology to focus on the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.