Mount Holly man accused in string of Rutland robberies sentenced after pleading guilty to single offense

A man who is alleged to have robbed at least nine Rutland-area convenience stores was sentenced Tuesday following a guilty plea to robbing one at knifepoint last March.

Todd Bussino, 38, of Mount Holly was sentenced to 53 months in the U.S. District Court in Burlington on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered three years of supervised release once he completes his prison term, plus $1,367 in restitution, according to a Department of Justice press release.

He has been held without bail since last May and is currently at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. He was first booked in April 2012. 

Authorities investigated a string of robberies that took place in and around Rutland between November 2020 and April 2021. In each of them, a man entered the store, waited until customers left, and demanded money from the clerk. In most of the cases, he brandished a knife, the release stated.

Bussino was arrested on March 7, 2021, after the ninth such robbery, but was released on bail. He was arrested again after a tenth attempt on April 13. On April 21, a federal grand jury in Rutland charged Bussino with four of those robberies. In May, Bussino pleaded not guilty to those charges, the release stated.

He pleaded guilty to the March 7 robbery in September. Court documents indicate a series of charges including burglary and assault dating back to 2012.

“All Vermonters should be able to feel safe visiting and working in commercial establishments such as convenience stores,” U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest said in the release. 

The Rutland Police Department, Rutland County Sheriff’s Department, Vermont State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Bussino is represented by Assistant Federal Defender Steven Barth. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

— Auditi Guha