Dominique Troupe, a 39-year-old resident of Colchester, Vermont, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for his involvement in drug trafficking and a fatal armed robbery in Swanton. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford on February 13, 2026.
Troupe was convicted by a jury on May 7, 2024, after a six-day trial. The charges included conspiracy to distribute cocaine base (crack cocaine), aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime that resulted in gunfire, conspiracy to commit robbery, and possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute. Two co-defendants in the case, Eric Raymond and Jesse Sweet, had previously pleaded guilty and received sentences of twelve and six years respectively.
Court records show that Troupe supplied crack cocaine to residents in Swanton starting at least as early as July 2021. He maintained an ongoing distribution operation in the area throughout the latter half of that year. In January 2022, competition from another distributor who moved into a residence at 45 First Street led to decreased sales for Troupe’s operation.
To address this decline, two associates—Eric Raymond and Jesse Sweet—proposed robbing the rival dealer. According to evidence presented at trial, Troupe put this plan into action by providing Raymond with a firearm and driving him along with another unidentified person to attempt the robbery during the early morning hours of February 2, 2022. During this attempted armed robbery at the Swanton residence, Elijah Oliver, age 22 from Massachusetts, was shot twice and killed.
After Oliver’s death, Troupe left Vermont temporarily and directed an associate to cancel his cell phone account. He later returned to Vermont where he continued distributing crack cocaine; one transaction involved selling drugs to an undercover law enforcement source. When arrested on September 7, 2022, authorities found him in possession of nearly 189 grams of crack cocaine.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt recognized the joint efforts of Vermont State Police, FBI agents, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives personnel as well as officers from the Swanton Police Department: “I commend all agencies involved for their collaborative investigatory efforts.”
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Turner and recently retired Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher. Kevin Henry served as defense counsel for Troupe.
