A Sewickley man will be released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after spending months in detention, following an immigration judge’s decision Monday to grant him bond.
Bruno Guedes da Silva, a native of Brazil, is expected to be freed on a $5,000 bond set by the judge after he was arrested by agents during a traffic stop in Glen Osborne while driving to work with his wife in February.
The immigration court’s decision comes after the Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s office dropped gun charges Wednesday that were filed against Guedes da Silva in January.
Family spokesperson Hadley Haas of Glen Osborne was one of about 50 Quaker Valley area community members who listened virtually to Monday’s hearing with Judge Tamar Wilson.
Participants included current and former school board members, teachers, coaches, family and friends.
“I think today, a lot of the community’s prayers were answered,” Haas said.
She said the family was working on posting the bond and confirming other transportation details Monday afternoon.
Attorney Peter Rogers represented Guedes da Silva. A message seeking comment was not immediately returned.
The charges stemmed from a form he filled out while attempting to purchase a handgun at a McCandless firearms store in July 2024. Guedes da Silva answered “no” to a question on a federal Firearms Transaction Record form asking whether he was an alien or unlawfully in the United States.
Immigration information reviewed by McCandless police, however, indicated Guedes da Silva was “not legally in the United States and is currently under removal proceedings,” the complaint said.
Guedes da Silva’s attorney, Thomas Farrell, said his client believed he was legally in the country because he is seeking asylum and was permitted by the government to work and pay taxes. Guedes da Silva had a driver’s license and Social Security card, the attorney said.
Haas said a federal official arguing for Guedes da Silva’s continued detention brought up the gun charges, and Rogers made a compelling argument as to why he should be released.
Rogers talked about how the charges were withdrawn, and how it was important for the family to be reunited as Guedes da Silva’s 6-year-old daughter, Maria, continues to battle cancer, according to Haas.
Farrell did not participate in Monday’s hearing and was not involved in the immigration litigation.
He said that in previous discussions with Rogers and the family, everyone felt it was vital to address the gun charges prior to any immigration hearing.
“It’s out of my bailiwick, but that was the whole point to try to get rid of it prior to the hearing,” Farrell said. “The people who I talked to, Pete and others, they were concerned about that. Obviously, if the other side mentioned that right away, it was significant.
“I’m very pleased. It was a very good result that Pete Rogers did.”
Guedes da Silva’s arrest sparked major concern throughout Quaker Valley and beyond, garnering the attention of state and local lawmakers, in part due to the father being separated from his young daughter battling cancer.
Maria Paula de Araujo Guedes is a first grader at Osborne Elementary School.
She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in April 2024 and resumed treatments a few months ago after being in remission most of last year.
Her older brother, Breno de Araujo Guedes, 17, is a junior at Quaker Valley High School. He works at a Brazilian steakhouse in Downtown Pittsburgh when not tending to the family or his studies.
Haas and Quaker Valley School Director Stratton Nash were among a team of people who organized a prayer service for the family at Sewickley United Methodist Church late last month.
Nash said the bond hearing result shows prayers were answered.
“You better believe it,” Nash said Monday afternoon. “The community went to bat for this family and brought him home literally and figuratively.”
Nash also stressed how having the DA’s office withdraw the charges likely impacted the case.
“I’m not sure he would be released without that,” Nash said. “The other big thing is Maria’s health and the family’s need to have the father as they go through this period. … It wasn’t practical that he would remain detained.”
Ana Paula de Araujo Pinto, the wife of Guedes da Silva, released a statement thanking everyone involved in the process.
“Our family is incredibly grateful that our husband and father, Bruno Guedes da Silva, was granted bond this morning by a U.S. immigration judge,” the statement read. “We sincerely thank the Allegheny District Attorney’s Office for its fairness and compassion in withdrawing all charges against Bruno, Tom Farrell for his outstanding work on the criminal case, and the Sewickley community for the overwhelming support shown to our family during this difficult time.
“We are especially grateful to immigration attorney, Peter Rogers, whose tireless advocacy helped secure Bruno’s release so he can return home and be with this young daughter as she undergoes critical medical treatment. This outcome means everything to our family.”
Megan Trotter and Michael DiVittorio are TribLive staff writers. Megan can be reached at mtrotter@triblive.com, Michael at mdivittorio@triblive.com.