BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – A federal judge in Birmingham has sentenced a 29-year-old Mexican citizen to 21 months in prison after a Pelham shots-fired call led officers to a stolen handgun, U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. announced.
U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced 29-year-old Federico Sanchez Alvarado, who had been removed from the country once before. He pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation or removal and to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
Shots fired behind Deer Springs Road
According to the plea agreement, Sanchez was ordered removed from the United States on February 10, 2016, and deported on August 16, 2016.
He came to the attention of law enforcement again on October 17, 2025, when Pelham Police Department officers answered a 911 call for “shots fired.” Officers arriving at the scene heard a series of gunshots in a residential area behind Deer Springs Road.
Sanchez admitted to firing a pistol in the backyard, according to the plea agreement. He agreed to show officers where the gun was inside the residence.
Officers recovered a Springfield Armory XD-9 sub-compact handgun from inside the home. The gun had been reported stolen in Birmingham two weeks earlier. Officers arrested Sanchez after finding him in the United States illegally for a second time.
Officials comment
“This sentence sends a clear message that those who disregard our immigration and firearms laws will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We appreciate the work of our law enforcement partners on this case. Through our strong partnerships, we will continue working together to keep our communities safe. This case is another indication of how our nation’s immigration laws have been flaunted and abused. This individual is on his second deportation, but the Department of Justice will diligently continue to enforce the laws that secure our borders.”
“Illegal aliens who disregard our laws, in this case by reentering the country after being removed and illegally possessing a firearm, pose a serious risk to the community,” said Ellen Johnson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI will continue working alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and investigate individuals who threaten public safety and hold them accountable for their actions.”
Homeland Security Investigations and the Pelham Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Woodard prosecuted it.
For more on federal court cases in the area, see legal news from across Alabama.