A Jordanian national has been sentenced to 27 months in a federal prison after being convicted of illegal firearm possession, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. Husam Al Najjar, 43, was found guilty by a jury last October and has now learned his fate, nearly two and a half years behind bars followed by three years of supervised release.
Residing in Lucas County, the evidence revealed at Al Najjar's trial showed he entered the United States on a non-immigrant visitor visa in late 2014. In March 2015, about four months later, he married a U.S. citizen in Toledo, only for agents to discover that his visa had expired a month later, overstaying beyond the entry conditions it sets. His wife sought to secure lawful status for him via U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), but those efforts never came to fruition.
The case unfolded further when investigators came across multiple social media posts in which Al Najjar appeared with firearms. Federal agents, while executing a search warrant at his home, confiscated a Glock Model 45, 9mm pistol. Although the laws are clear about the rights, or lack thereof, for an undocumented immigrant to possess firearms, this case brings into sharp relief the implications of such restrictions and the government's commitment to enforcing them.
Following his prison term, Al Najjar faces deportation as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer. The federal authorities have indicated that they will take him into administrative immigration custody for removal, once his sentence is over, from the United States. The FBI Toledo Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and USCIS were the lead agencies on the investigation, as per the Justice Department’s release.
The duties of prosecution fell on Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Shepherd and Dexter L. Phillips, who led the charge in this case for the Northern District of Ohio. The conviction sends a stern message about the consequences of violating U.S. immigration and firearm laws, intending to deter similar violations and promote legal pathways for those seeking to reside in the country.
