A Springfield resident could face more than a decade in federal prison after guns and explosive devices were found in his home while he was being evicted.
A federal jury in Alexandria convicted 42-year-old Amer Taisir Zghailat Qaralleh yesterday (Thursday) of possessing an unregistered firearm and improper storage of explosive materials, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.
The guns and explosive devices were found in Zghailat Qaralleh’s home by the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office when deputies were serving him with a writ of eviction on the morning of March 18, 2025, according to court documents.
“For the safety of the furniture movers who were to empty the residence, deputies first secured the residence by conducting a preliminary search for persons or dangerous weapons,” a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agent wrote in an affidavit filed on Oct. 8. “While conducting this preliminary search … deputies observed multiple firearms in plain view.”
When asked if there were any other weapons in the home, Zghailat Qaralleh reportedly told deputies that there were more guns in two backpacks, including one in the living room where they “discovered four suspected illegal explosive devices.”
Bomb technicians and specialists from the ATF were then called in to assist with the search.
Among the firearms recovered by the sheriff’s office was a shotgun that appeared to have been modified with a shortened barrel. Investigators determined that gun wasn’t registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law.
The sheriff’s office arrested Zghailat Qaralleh “based on his possession of explosive devices and for possession of a sawed-off shotgun,” the affidavit says. Later that day, when an officer was explaining the charges, he “spontaneously” stated that the shotgun was given to him by a friend.
It’s unclear when that arrest occurred, but the U.S. Justice Department didn’t file a complaint over the unregistered firearm possession until Oct. 8, 2025. A magistrate issued an arrest warrant for Zghailat Qaralleh that day that was executed on Oct. 9.
A grand jury indicted Zghailat Qaralleh on Jan. 8 on the two charges for which he has now been convicted as well as a third charge for transporting or receiving explosive materials, described as “four cylindrical, improvised explosive devices.”
A jury trial started on Tuesday (June 23) after some delays to earlier proceedings due to medical emergencies, court records show. The jury began deliberating on Wednesday and returned with a verdict yesterday, finding Zghailat Qaralleh guilty on the firearm possession and improper storage charges but acquitting him of transporting or receiving explosive materials.
The federal public defender representing Zghailat Qaralleh in the case declined to comment.
The Springfield resident is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6.
“He faces up to 10 years in prison for possession of an unregistered firearm and up to a year in prison for improper storage of explosive materials,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
