VERGENNES –– Eddy Santiago, Jr., 30, of Clifton, New Jersey, was sentenced to 49 months in prison followed by a three-year term of supervised release for using extortionate means to collect and punish the nonpayment of a debt in Vergennes.
According to court records, Santiago was arrested by Vermont state law enforcement on January 5, 2022, after setting fire to a vehicle at a residence in the Booth Woods neighborhood of Vergennes earlier that morning.
The fire destroyed two vehicles in the driveway and damaged the residence.
Witnesses reported that Santiago had threatened to start a fire if the residents did not pay a large debt he believed they owed him for cocaine he had provided.
Video footage from nearby residences and a gas station showed Santiago carrying a gas can, filling it up, and lighting the car on fire.
Several law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Vermont State Police, the Vergennes Police Department, and the Middlebury Police Department.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the mutually supportive efforts of the agencies in their proactive investigation of drug crimes and their reactive investigation of the arson.
