A Vinalhaven man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release from U.S. Attorneys’ Office, District of Maine.

According to court records, in June 2022, investigators arrested an individual on a federal arrest warrant at the Fairfield Inn in Bangor, the release said.

When the individual asked if he could get money from his room, agents entered the room in the individual’s presence to retrieve the money with his consent, the release said. Investigators found John Dinius, 56, in the room, and observed a magazine for a gun on the bathroom counter.

When investigators asked Dinius where the guns were located, he directed them to a bag containing a loaded .45 caliber pistol and a .38 caliber revolver. He admitted he had hidden the bag to get the guns out of sight, the release said. A 2004 conviction in Massachusetts precluded Dinius from possessing a firearm.

Dinius faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.