Authorities in Perrysburg, Ohio, have arrested a 24-year-old Venezuelan man who successfully posed as a 16-year-old and attended a local high school for more than a year—playing sports, living with a host family, and even receiving legal guardianship through the courts.
The man, identified as Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, used a forged birth certificate, fake Social Security number, and a falsified Ohio driver’s license to enroll at Perrysburg High School in January 2024. He claimed to be a 16-year-old human trafficking victim and presented fraudulent immigration documents under Temporary Protected Status.
Labrador Sierra fully integrated into student life, playing on the school’s soccer and swim teams and attending classes like any other student. He lived with a local family who had been granted guardianship over him based on his false identity.
His elaborate ruse began to unravel in May 2025, when the mother of his child contacted the host family and school officials, revealing that he was actually a 24-year-old adult who had fathered a child years prior. He was born on March 27, 2001—not in 2007 as he had claimed.
Police arrested Labrador Sierra on May 19 and charged him with felony forgery. A judge set his bond at $50,000 and ordered him to wear an ankle monitor, remain in Wood County, and stay away from school property. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a detainer, and deportation proceedings are expected to follow.
The case has raised serious concerns about vulnerabilities in school enrollment procedures and immigration screening. School officials expressed shock, stating that they had been completely unaware of the deception. Many community members say they were stunned, noting that the man had been seen as a model student and teammate.
While the incident is now under investigation, officials say it highlights the growing challenges local communities face in verifying the identities of individuals entering the country under questionable circumstances. The school district has promised to review its protocols to ensure a case like this doesn’t happen again.
As the legal process moves forward, Labrador Sierra remains in custody, and local and federal authorities are working to determine how such an elaborate fraud went undetected for so long.