A Kenyan national in Birmingham, Alabama, in the US has been sentenced to 18 months in a United States prison after pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm.
According to a statement by Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Crosby, 39-year-old Stanley Amalemba Ambeyi admitted in November 2025 to being in possession of a firearm while unlawfully present in the country.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala.
Court records show that on April 11, 2025, officers from the Birmingham Police Department stopped Ambeyi during a routine traffic check. During the stop, an officer noticed a box of ammunition inside the vehicle, raising suspicion. Although Ambeyi denied having a firearm, a subsequent search led to the recovery of a .22 calibre revolver, resulting in his arrest.
During sentencing on April 6, 2026, prosecutors also presented additional allegations that in November 2024, Ambeyi attempted to solicit sex from a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl in exchange for money.
Those charges remain pending before a court in Blount County.
The case forms part of a wider federal crackdown under “Operation Take Back America,” an initiative by the United States Department of Justice targeting illegal immigration, organised crime and violent offences.
Investigations were conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Birmingham Police Department, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John B. Ward and Ryan S. Rummage.