Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm After a High-Speed Pursuit with an Iowa State Trooper

Ahmed Abdullahai Khalif, 23, from Owosso, Michigan, pled guilty on March 30, 2023, to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.  Khalif was a user of marijuana and was previously convicted of felony Illegal Sale/Use of a Financial Transaction Device in Michigan. Both prohibit a person from possessing a firearm. 

At the plea hearing, defendant admitted that on October 19, 2022, during a traffic stop, he possessed a 9mm Taurus pistol and marijuana while being a felon.  Prior to the traffic stop, an Iowa State Patrol trooper clocked the vehicle defendant was driving traveling in excess of 100 mph.  After the trooper activated his emergency lights, Khalif led the trooper on a high-speed pursuit into Wright County, at times traveling toward oncoming traffic.  Ultimately, the defendant hit the trooper’s vehicle, and defendant fled on foot a short distance before being apprehended.  The vehicle defendant was driving was stolen in Massachusetts.  During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement found the 9mm Taurus pistol and marijuana.  In addition to the federal conviction for the firearm possession, defendant was convicted in Iowa District Court for Wright County with felony Eluding, Theft 2^nd Degree, Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, Possession Marijuana, and Operating While Under the Influence.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Khalif remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Khalif faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa DCI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-3035.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.