A North Miami man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for kidnapping and firearm offenses stemming from a violent home invasion that nearly claimed a victim’s life.
U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks imposed the sentence on Alphonso Gainer, 37, on January 6, following a jury conviction on one count of kidnapping and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
According to court documents and trial evidence, Gainer broke into a North Miami home around 6 a.m. on July 11, 2023, and opened fire inside the residence, narrowly missing the victim. A 911 call placed during the incident captured the sound of additional gunshots as the victim attempted to take cover. Responding officers arrived within minutes, but Gainer fled the scene before he could be located.
Several hours later, after law enforcement had left the area, Gainer returned to the home, kidnapped the victim at gunpoint, and forced the victim into a rental vehicle. The victim was able to escape unharmed and photographed the vehicle’s license plate, which investigators traced back to Gainer. Ballistics evidence later linked a firearm recovered from Gainer’s residence to shell casings found at the scene.
“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. He added that the sentence reflects federal efforts under Operation Take Back America to target violent offenders and reduce gun crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Miami Field Division, with assistance from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Mikulic and Altanese P. Phenelus prosecuted the case.
