COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A federal judge has denied a request for a gun charge against an Ohio man who was in the United States illegally for nearly two decades.

Carlos Serrano-Restrepo was charged in early 2024 and later charged with possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the US

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated and conducted surveillance on Serrano-Restrepo after he made a purchase for at least 22 firearms. On the firearms forms, he claimed he was a U.S. citizen.

After a search of his home, officers seized approximately 170 firearms, tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition and smoke/maritime markings. At least one of the firearms was a .50-caliber Barret rifle.

Serrano-Restrepo said some of the weapons were for self-defense. Photos showed him keeping firearms in gun safes and handguns in holsters on the wall of a closet.

After the gun charge, his attorney filed a motion to dismiss, claiming Serrano-Restrepo has a right to bear arms under the Second Amendment.

He moved to Orient, Ohio from Arizona in 2022. He told the court he last entered the country without permission in 2008. He also has a company that repairs fire and flood damage.

On November 21, 2024, the federal judge denied his request to dismiss the charges, saying: “Disarming unlawful immigrants like Mr. Serrano-Restrepo, who have not sworn allegiance to the United States, is consistent with history and tradition of the nation in firearms regulations. .. Taking an oath of allegiance takes place through the naturalization process, not through his asylum application or his years of residence in the United States.’

With the motion denied, his trial is currently scheduled for January 21, 2025.