Feds: Mentally ill man had stash of 18 guns, fake police badges in Melvindale home
More than a decade ago, Saliah Algahmi was ordered hospitalized for mental health issues, deemed a threat to himself and others, court records show.
Because of that, the government says, he wasn't allowed to possess guns.
But following a domestic violence incident 11 years later, police raided his home this month and discovered a cache of weapons: 18 in total, including a machine gun, semiautomatic rifles and a stolen AK-47 pistol. They also found two counterfeit police badges, one of them a shiny gold Department of Defense knockoff.
Federal charges followed.
In U.S. District Court last week, 37-year-old Algahmi, of Melvindale, consented to being jailed pending the outcome of a case that highlights a pervasive problem in the United States: guns winding up in the wrong hands.
This year, the U.S. Department of Justice released its first sweeping federal gun crime report in 20 years that looked at guns recovered in crimes from 2017 to 2021. The report found what Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco called an epidemic of stolen guns: more than 1 million reported stolen between 2017 and 2021. Nearly all — 96% — were stolen from private citizens.
The report also found a shrinking turnaround between the time a gun was bought and when it was recovered from a crime scene, indicating guns bought legally are more quickly being used in crimes nationwide.
In Algahmi's case, the government says, one of the guns seized from his house was involved in the incident that set his case in motion: a shooting in a Detroit alley in May, with his wife as the target.
The Violent and Organized Crime Unit with the U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case.
Michigan gun case started with domestic violence
According to court records, Algahmi's case mirrors much of what was found in the Justice Department report: He had stolen guns, weapons with obliterated serial numbers and a gun that wound up in a crime scene: the weapon he allegedly fired at his wife three weeks before police raided his house.
His mere possession of the gun was a crime in and of itself, says the government, which detailed Algahmi's past in court records.
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In 2012, Algahmi was ordered to be hospitalized for at least 60 days under a petition by the Michigan Probate Court. The petition concluded that he was mentally ill, suffered from bipolar disorder, was at risk of “intentionally or unintentionally” seriously injuring himself or others, and had previously acted in a threatening manner.
“Therefore, any possession of firearms and or ammunition would be in direct violation of (federal law),” a federal agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit on file in U.S. District Court.
According to that affidavit, here is how police discovered a stockpile of weapons in Algahmi's house:
At 2:41 a.m. May 19, Detroit police responded to a 911 call involving an assault in an alley at Sharon and Mandale streets. Police were flagged down by a woman who said that Algahmi had fired one round at her as she sat in her car, and then fled the scene.
The woman was his wife. She was not injured.
Police located a spent 9mm shell casing at the scene and a witness corroborated the wife’s story.
The weapons seized
On June 8, Detroit police executed a search warrant at Algahmi’s home in Melvindale, where they discovered the 18 guns, including a Glock 23 handgun that was equipped with a fully automatic conversion device commonly referred to as a “switch.”
Police also discovered a counterfeit Drug Enforcement Agency badge in a kitchen cabinet, and a gold Department of Defense badge bearing the number 212 in a duffel bag.
The guns were all over the house, including:
An AR-15 rifle found on a bed in an upstairs bedroom.
A semiautomatic rifle — a Smith and Wesson M&P 15 — in another bedroom.
A semiautomatic pistol in a basement bedroom.
The Romanian-built AK-47 pistol — known as the Mini Draco — in a bag next to the living room couch.
A gun inside a brown holster set on the TV stand.
A semiautomatic Beretta pistol in an open safe in the living room.
According to the affidavit, one of the firearms found in the house was registered to Algahmi’s wife. None of the guns was lawfully registered to Algahmi, who is currently jailed on multiple charges, including possessing unregistered machine guns, possessing firearms in violation of his prior court-ordered hospitalization and possessing counterfeit DEA and DOD insignia badges.
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His attorney, prominent criminal defense lawyer William Swor, declined comment.
If convicted, Algahmi faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
“Through his illegal possession of an arsenal of 18 firearms, including a machine gun, and his willingness to use a firearm against a family member, this defendant represented an ongoing threat to the community,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in announcing the charges last week. “This threat has been stopped by the swift actions of law enforcement, and we are thankful this case did not result in someone being injured or killed.”
Algahmi's arrest comes three months after the FBI arrested a Sebewaing man with a history of mental illness who allegedly threatened to kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, other Democrats, federal agents and members of the LGBTQ+ community. According to court records, his mother had bought him three long guns and a pistol despite his history of mental illness: He was involuntary committed in 2012, and prohibited from owning a gun. That case is pending.Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Feds: Mentally ill Melvindale man had 18 guns, fake police badges
