A North Miami man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after being convicted of kidnapping and firearm offenses following a violent home invasion. Alphonso Gainer, 37, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks on January 6, after a jury found him guilty of one count of kidnapping and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
“This defendant used a firearm to invade a home, terrorize a victim, and commit a kidnapping—conduct that strikes at the heart of community safety,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Under Operation Take Back America, violent offenders who bring guns into our neighborhoods will be identified, prosecuted, and removed from our streets. A 15-year federal sentence sends a clear message: there is no tolerance for violent gun crime in South Florida.”
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, Gainer broke into the victim’s residence in North Miami at around 6 a.m. on July 11, 2023. He fired shots inside the home, nearly hitting the victim. The incident was captured on a 911 call made by the victim as Gainer fired additional rounds while the victim sought cover.
Law enforcement officers responded quickly but Gainer escaped before they arrived. Later that day, after police had left following their initial investigation, Gainer returned to the scene armed with a gun and kidnapped the victim by forcing them into his rental vehicle at gunpoint. The victim managed to escape unharmed and photographed the license plate of Gainer’s rental car. Authorities traced this information back to Gainer.
Ballistics analysis linked shell casings found at the scene to a firearm recovered from Gainer’s residence.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Office with assistance from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Mikulic and Altanese P. Phenelus prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of ATF Miami Field Division announced the sentencing.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative focused on addressing illegal immigration issues as well as combating cartels and transnational criminal organizations through law enforcement resources across communities.
Information about related court documents can be accessed via www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20226.
