Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Thomas D. Manns, 37, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 26, 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots fired at a Ewart Avenue apartment complex in Beckley and encountered Manns holding what they believed to be a firearm as he ran into a stairway. Officers searched the stairway and found a Mossberg, model 500AT, 12-gauge shotgun in a trash can. Video footage from the apartment complex’s security cameras showed Manns holding the shotgun before he put it in the trash can. Manns admitted to possessing the firearm.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Manns knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in Raleigh County Circuit Court on November 29, 2006.

Manns is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley Police Department.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-66. 

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