GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Robinson Abrahan Esparragoza Regalado, 26, a Venezuelan national, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charge today.

Regalado appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry on December 23, 2025, in Gainesville, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for January 28, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor.

If convicted, Regalado faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Florida Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.