Skip to main content
Press Release

New Yorker Indicted for Possessing Automatic Rifle in Basilica School Zone

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Brooklyn, NY man has been indicted for a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Ahmed Abdalla Allam, 26, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Feb. 1, 2023, charging him with possession of a firearm in a school zone.  Allam appeared in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn today and was ordered to be held pending a detention hearing.

According to information presented in court, on Jan. 29, 2023, Allam was found in possession of a multi-caliber rifle within 1,000 feet of St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School in Beaumont.  Allam also possessed a 30-round magazine and 150 rounds of ammunition.  It is a federal violation to possess firearms or ammunition within 1,000 feet of a school zone.   

“The community of St. Anthony’s, including parents, teachers, and administrator, are to be commended for remaining vigilant and reporting their suspicions,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.  “If you see something suspicious – say something.  You may save a life.”

If convicted, Allam faces up to 5 years in federal prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is being investigated by the Beaumont Police Department, Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, Port Arthur Fire Department, and Montgomery County Fire Marshall.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.

###

Updated February 1, 2023

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses