Wise County man found guilty of illegally possessing firearm and ammunition (DOJ)

ABINGDON, Va. - Johnny Lorrain Dishman, 68, of Wise County, Virginia was recently found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court of unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition after previously being convicted of a felony. Since 1990, Dishman had been convicted of nine felony offenses in both federal and state court, most recently in 2022 in Wise County Circuit Court for unlawfully possessing a firearm and Schedule I/II controlled substance.

On February 13, 2025, officers with Wise Police Department were searching for a wanted individual at Dishman's residence in Wise County. After announcing themselves for over 20 minutes, Dishman finally responded to the officers by racking a Mossberg 500AT, 12-gauge shotgun and greeting the officers with the loaded shotgun in his hands.

Dishman faces a maximum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, and he is scheduled to be sentenced in October of this year.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Wise Police Department, and Wise County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Hall and Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case.