Jordanian National Illegally in the U.S. Sentenced to Prison for Firearm Violation

TOLEDO, Ohio - A Jordanian man residing in Lucas County has been sentenced to prison for possessing a firearm, which he was prohibited from having due to his status as an unlawful alien.

Husam Al Najjar, 43, was sentenced to 27 months in prison after a federal jury found him guilty in October of being an Unlawful Alien in Possession of a Firearm. The sentence was handed down Feb. 3 by U.S. District Court Judge Jack Zouhary. Al Najjar was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

Evidence introduced at trial showed that the defendant was admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant visitor on Oct. 26, 2014. About four months later, he met a U.S. citizen whom he then married March 12, 2015, in Toledo. However, agents found that Al Najjar overstayed his visa entry conditions when it expired the following month, thus making him eligible for deportation. His wife later submitted forms to U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) for Al Najjar to gain lawful status but those requests were never approved.

According to the original criminal complaint and affidavit filed in the case, agents investigating Al Najjar discovered that he took multiple videos and photos of himself holding or using a variety of firearms that he posted on his social media accounts. While executing a search warrant at his residence, agents seized a Glock Model 45, 9mm pistol.

Al Najjar is subject to a detainer from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and will be taken into administrative immigration custody for removal from the United States following the completion of his sentence.

This case was investigated by the FBI Toledo Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services.

Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Shepherd and Dexter L. Phillips for the Northern District of Ohio led the prosecution.