Amy Quesnel, 29, of Georgia, Vermont was sentenced yesterday to six months imprisonment to be followed by four months of home detention.
Quesnel had previously pled guilty to a violation of the Telephone Records Privacy Protection Act, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Coffin stated that this prosecution was important because it involved criminal conduct that threatened the confidentiality of law enforcement investigations and subjected cooperating witnesses to potential retaliation.
The defendant’s charge was included in a twenty-count/twenty defendant Indictment that alleges that Michael Olsen, 36, of Milton led a large cocaine conspiracy in northwestern Vermont. The Indictment alleges that Olsen owned Rizzo Bros. automobile detailing shop on Commerce Avenue in South Burlington but operated it as a front for a multi-kilogram cocaine distribution organization. The Indictment alleges that Olsen directed others, including codefendant Andrew Bullock, 29, of Essex Junction, to mail large amounts of cash (usually over $20,000) to cocaine suppliers in California and Arizona. The Government charges that kilograms of cocaine would then be sent to third party addresses in Chittenden and Franklin Counties where other coconspirators would pick it up upon Olsen’s instructions. According to allegations contained in Court documents, while Olsen’s shop was opened in August 2005, it eventually did little, if any, legitimate business and was essentially a front for selling cocaine and laundering cocaine proceeds. All twenty defendants have pled guilty and most, including Olsen and Bullock, are now awaiting sentencing.
As to Quesnel, the Government alleged that upon Olsen’s request and direction, Quesnel, who then worked at Sprint-Nextel, repeatedly (over 20 times) accessed phone logs of Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Agents and disclosed this information to Michael Olsen. The Government alleges that after Olsen determined which witnesses were in contact with DEA, Olsen discussed locating and killing one such witness. The Government also alleged that Olsen used this information to intimidate another witness he suspected of cooperating with DEA. The Government acknowledged that there was no evidence that Quesnel knew how Olsen was using this information after she disclosed it to Olsen.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Vermont