A 24-year-old Venezuelan man, Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, has been arrested in Perrysburg, Ohio, after allegedly posing as a 17-year-old high school student using forged documents.
Authorities say Sierra used a fake Venezuelan birth certificate listing him as “Anthony Labrador,” age 16, to enroll as an 11th-grade student at Perrysburg High School. He claimed to be a homeless immigrant and a victim of human trafficking. He began attending classes on January 19, 2024.
Police reports indicate Sierra successfully obtained a driver’s license, Social Security number, and Temporary Protected Status. He was also placed with a guardian family, receiving both temporary and permanent guardianship through the Wood County Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division.
The deception unraveled on May 14, 2025, when a woman contacted Sierra’s guardian family, claiming he was actually a 24-year-old man who had fathered her child. She provided a photo of his legitimate ID showing a birthdate of March 27, 2001.
The guardian family brought the claim to Perrysburg Schools, which in turn alerted the Perrysburg Police Department.
Sierra was stopped during a traffic stop and taken into custody on May 19, 2025. He now faces a felony forgery charge for submitting a falsified birth certificate.
Following his arrest, U.S. Customs and Border Protection was notified. The agency confirmed that it would issue an immigration detainer once Sierra was in custody. The investigation remains ongoing.
