Illegal Alien and Husband Convicted of Firearms Offenses and Lying to Immigration Judge (DOJ)

NEWNAN, Ga. - An illegal alien who unlawfully possessed a firearm at a Fayette County gun range and her husband, who lied to an immigration judge in an effort to secure his wife's release from custody and who paid another woman to fraudulently purchase firearms that others attempted to smuggle into Mexico, have pleaded guilty to multiple felony offenses and now face years in prison.

"Illegal aliens are strictly prohibited from possessing weapons in our country, and federal law prudently prohibits lawful residents from telling lies to facilitate illicit gun trafficking," said U.S Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Through their deceitful conduct, this husband-and-wife duo demonstrated contempt for the law, but they could not escape its reach. My office's partnership with Atlanta's highly productive Homeland Security Task Force will ensure that these criminals and those who assisted them are held accountable."

"Among ATF's top priorities is ensuring that firearms traffickers are aggressively investigated and swiftly brought to justice," said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd. "This investigation is an excellent example of what can be accomplished through strong collaboration among multiple partner agencies, resulting in outstanding outcomes."

"The Bureau of Industry and Security is committed to preventing unlawful exports," stated Bureau of Industry and Security Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Shein. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt, dismantle and deter the illicit procurement networks that seek to violate U.S. export laws and inflict harm."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On August 8, 2025, Steven Estrada Feregrino gave a woman $4,600 to purchase firearms on his behalf from a gun store in Fayetteville, Georgia. The woman bought seven firearms with Estrada's money and falsely represented that she was the actual buyer of the firearms. Afterwards, the woman gave the firearms to Estrada and Miguel Angela Varela-Posas, a previously deported illegal alien. Within less than a week, the firearms that Estrada and Varela-Posas received were recovered at the Del Rio, Texas port of entry inside a van bound for Mexico.

Two months later, Estrada and his wife, Brenda Rojano-Gonzalez, 26, an illegal alien from Temimilco, Mexico, went to a gun range where CCTV cameras recorded Rojano-Gonzalez handling and discharging a firearm. Subsequently, immigration authorities arrested Rojano-Gonzalez. At a November 5, 2025 hearing in immigration court, Estrada falsely testified under oath that Rojano-Gonzalez never shot a firearm at a gun range. Although the immigration court released her on a bond, Rojano-Gonzalez was charged in federal court with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Rojano-Gonzalez pled guilty to that charge on March 11, 2026. Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2026, before Chief U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May.

On May 11, 2026, Steven Estrada Feregrino, 29, of Fayetteville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to perjury and false statements to a federal firearms licensee. Sentencing is scheduled for August 14, 2026, before Chief Judge May.

In indictments returned on February 3, 2026, and May 5, 2026, Varela-Posas, 30, of Puebla, Mexico, was charged with illegal reentry to the United States, false statements to a federal firearms licensee, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, and possession of counterfeit documents.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges. Varela-Posas is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government's burden to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

These cases are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

These prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.