Palestinian man sentenced for possessing firearm
Ali was in possession of a Glock semiautomatic pistol that had been reported stolen out of Memphis, $7,378.24 in cash, “boxes containing tracking devices,” and a Palestinian passport.
TEXARKANA — A Palestinian man was sentenced to time served plus 10 days for possessing a firearm while present in the U.S. illegally.
Abdallah Ahmed Ali, 30, has been held in the Miller County jail since his arrest May 25, 2021, by Arkansas State Police after being stopped for driving 96 miles per hour in a 75 mph zone, according to a factual basis document on file in Ali’s case.
The stop was made shortly before 8:30 a.m., May 25, 2021, on Interstate 49 near mile marker 23 in Miller County. Ali presented the trooper with two expired driver’s licenses from two different states.
Ali was in possession of a Glock semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen out of Memphis, $7,378.24 in cash, “boxes containing tracking devices,” and a Palestinian passport.
Homeland Security investigators determined Ali is a citizen of Jordan who last entered the U.S. in May 2014 as a non-immigrant student.
Applications submitted by Ali to change his status to legal resident were denied in September 2018 and earlier.
“As a result, the defendant’s immigration status at the time was that of non-immigrant overstay since approximately Sept. 24, 2018. As a person illegally and unlawfully present in the United States, the defendant is prohibited from possessing a firearm,” the factual basis states.
Ali appeared for sentencing Friday morning with Assistant Public Defender Alex Wynn. Wynn told U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey that Ali obtained a degree while studying in Turkey and came to the U.S. to work on a master’s degree. Wynn said Ali has no criminal history in the U.S., while noting that “ignorance of the law is no excuse,” in reference to Ali’s conduct.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Harris told the court that while formal charges were not pursued, Ali was arrested for aggravated assault in 2018 involving a woman he may have planned to marry. Harris said there was some speculation that Ali was attempting to marry in hopes it might help his immigration status.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Ali faced a range of 12 to 18 months in prison. Wynn said Ali has already served 11 months and five days in the Miller County jail. Hickey said the additional 10 days added to the time-served portion of the sentence gives immigration authorities time to arrange possible deportation.
Ali has a pending theft of firearm charge in Miller County, with bail set at $100,000. He is scheduled to appear May 17 before Circuit Judge Wren Autrey.