A federal judge has sentenced a North Miami man to 15 years in prison for a violent home invasion and kidnapping, authorities announced.
In a press release, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said Alphonso Gainer, 36, “used a firearm to invade a home, terrorize a victim, and commit a kidnapping—conduct that strikes at the heart of community safety.”
According to court documents, on July 11, 2023, at approximately 6 a.m., Gainer broke into the victim’s North Miami residence and opened fire inside the home, nearly killing the victim. A 911 call placed by the victim captured the sound of Gainer firing three additional rounds as the victim sought cover.
Court records state that after officers left the scene following their initial investigation, Gainer returned to the residence, kidnapped the victim at gunpoint, and forced the victim into a rental vehicle.
Investigators said the victim was later able to escape after taking photographs of the rental vehicle’s license plate. That image, along with ballistic evidence, led authorities to Gainer and to a firearm recovered from the scene of the shooting.
Reding Quiñones added that “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.”
The investigation was led by federal prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Mikulic and Altanese P. Phenelus.