Gloucester man who threatened deputies sentenced to three years in prison for unlawfully possessing firearms

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Gloucester man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The federal district court ordered the three-year sentence to run consecutively to the five-year sentenced imposed by the Commonwealth of Virginia earlier this year for offenses related to the federal conviction.

According to court documents, following the arrest of his adult son in August 2023 by the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), Allen Dowell, 59, posted videos on social media threatening deputies and their families with violence if they were involved in his son’s arrest.

An investigation into Dowell’s threats revealed several videos posted to social media in which Dowell possessed a firearm and described his marijuana cultivation practices at his residence. As a previously convicted felon, Dowell is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. On Sept. 1, 2023, GCSO and the Virginia State Police arrested Dowell at his residence. From the residence, investigators recovered 20 firearms, approximately 1,000 cartridges of ammunition, an assortment of firearm parts and accessories, suspected silencers/suppressors, and over 400 marijuana plants.

“This case demonstrates how the convergence of multiple criminal acts heightens the danger to our communities,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “A convicted felon cultivating a Schedule I narcotic while stockpiling firearms and ammunition felt emboldened to threaten deputies and their families in retaliation for doing their jobs. This conduct is precisely why we remain committed to holding individuals like Allen Dowell accountable when they choose to disregard the law.”

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: those who endanger our communities with illegal firearms and narcotics, and who attempt to intimidate law enforcement through threats, will be held fully accountable” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood. “We are committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe, and we will not tolerate violence, criminal activity, or efforts to undermine the safety of law enforcement.”

In January 2025, the Circuit Court of the County of Gloucester sentenced Dowell to five years for multiple convictions of obstruction and resisting arrest by threat/force after Dowell barricaded himself in his home while armed during the Sept. 1, 2023, standoff with GCSO and the Virginia State Police. Dowell’s three-year federal sentence will begin once his Virginia sentence is served.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter G. Osyf and Alyson C. Yates prosecuted the case.