Local charges dropped as feds target Venezuelan accused of posing as teen at Ohio high school
Anthony Labrador-Sierra, 24, was arrested May 21, after he allegedly enrolled in a public high school using fraudulent documents.
On Thursday, the Perrysburg Municipal Court confirmed to Fox News Digital all local charges had been dropped against Labrador-Sierra and that his case had been handed over to federal authorities.
Labrador-Sierra faced a judge in the case and waived his right to a preliminary hearing, according to WTVG.
He will now appear before a grand jury that will oversee his case.
According to a criminal complaint, Perrysburg Schools reported to the Perrysburg Police Department that they had received information that Labrador-Sierra, a student attending Perrysburg High School, was actually a 24-year-old man who fraudulently enrolled.
Detectives worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and discovered Labrador-Sierra is a 24-year-old from Venezuela.
Investigators also learned Labrador-Sierra allegedly used fraudulent documents to enroll in Perrysburg schools and was posing as a 16-year-old student.
Tom Hosler, superintendent of Perrysburg Schools, emphasized the district took swift action once learning Labrador-Sierra's real identity.
"I want to emphasize this: Immediately upon learning that this student may have concealed his identity and misled us, we acted. We met with the student, and he was then not permitted on any school property while we investigated. Very shortly after, we contacted law enforcement," Hosler wrote in a statement on the school district's website.
"Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our students. When we learn of a concerning situation, we act."
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called the discovery and allegations "shocking."
The senator shared a letter he sent to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel on X, writing, "Unreal. Thanks to Joe Biden's abuse of TPS, a 24-year-old illegal alien was caught on a fake asylum claim pretending to be a teenager at a high school in Ohio."
Moreno called on Noem and Patel to launch investigations immediately, asking them to take any and all lawful measures to enforce federal immigration and criminal laws against Labrador-Sierra.
Hosler added that Labrador-Sierra weaved "a complex tapestry of lies."
The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Ohio also noted that Labrador-Sierra is alleged to have submitted false information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about his date of birth in applications for Temporary Protective Status (TPS) and Employment Authorization Documents in 2024 and 2025.
DHS told Fox News it has located Labrador-Sierra's information under a different spelling of his name, adding he is a visa overstay who first came to the U.S. in 2019.
Perrysburg Police Chief Pat Jones told FOX 8 News Wednesday that what investigators have learned about the case so far appears to be "just the tip of the iceberg."
The school district released a statement explaining that it shares "the anger and frustration expressed by many in our community."
"This individual is accused of misrepresenting his identity, forging documents, and exploiting systems designed to protect vulnerable youth. While emotions are high, it's important that we remain grounded in facts as this complex situation continues to unfold," the district wrote in an updated statement.
The complaint further alleges that Labrador-Sierra does not have lawful status to purchase, own or possess a gun in the United States.
The agency noted he submitted false information on an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form to buy a gun.
He is being held in the Lucas County Jail.
If convicted, Labrador-Sierra would face up to 15 years in prison for possession of a gun by an alien, 10 years in prison for making a false statement during the purchase of a gun and up to five years in prison for using false documents, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
"We recognize that more information may still come to light, and we remain committed to learning everything we can as this situation continues to unfold. We will share additional information as we are able," the school district wrote.
The agency added that the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
Sanctuary state Colorado sues local cop for allegedly helping ICE arrest illegal immigrant student
The sanctuary state of Colorado is suing a local cop who allegedly gave federal immigration agents information on a University of Utah nursing student with an expired visa, leading to her arrest last month. Mesa County Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck pulled over 19-year-old Caroline Dias Goncalves on June 5 for driving too closely to a semitruck on the highway before he allegedly helped the feds nab the Brazilian citizen. 3 Body camera footage showing Caroline Dias Goncalves during a traffic stop. Mesa County Sheriffâs Office Advertisement Dias Goncalves didn't have a criminal history, but she had a tourist visa that expired 'over a decade ago,' said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. The college student moved to the US from Brazil with her family in 2012, according to Fox 13. Zwinck allegedly shared Dias Goncalves' driver's license, vehicle registration and insurance information in a Signal group message that included Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Advertisement The deputy stalled the young woman for a few minutes during the traffic stop, asking about her accent and national origin while inside his patrol car, according to the lawsuit. The delay tactic bought the feds some time. 3 Weiser accused the deputy of violating sanctuary laws in the state that prevent local cops from playing ball with the feds. AP While Zwinck let her go with a warning, he provided the immigration officers with a description of her car and told the student to head in a certain direction, where the feds were waiting to arrest her, the suit says. Advertisement Zwinck allegedly congratulated the agents on the arrest, saying 'rgr, nice work.' He was also praised by one fed, who said Zwinck should be tapped as 'interdictor of the year' for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said Zwinck's actions violated the state's sanctuary law that blocks local cops from doing 'the work of the federal government to enforce immigration law.' 'In this case, the driver was detained by immigration authorities because of actions by Colorado law enforcement despite the absence of any criminal activity on her part. Her detention for over two weeks is directly due to this violation of Colorado's laws,' said Weiser. 'Because of this action, we are making clear that Colorado law enforcement's role is to advance public safety, not take on the responsibility of doing the work of federal immigration enforcement,' he added. Advertisement 3 Dias Goncalves was released from a Colorado immigration detention center after 15 days. Dias Goncalves was released from immigration detention after posting bail last week, according to Fox 13. As part of its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration has pledged to flood sanctuary cities and states with ICE agents. It has also sued Colorado and the city of Denver for 'obstructing' federal law in blocking local cops from playing ball with ICE. 'President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S,' McLaughlin said in a statement.
Fox News
29 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump DOJ sues New York City over long-standing sanctuary immigration policies
The Justice Department is suing New York City over its sanctuary policies, as the Trump administration targets jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities as it continues to ramp up deportation raids. The lawsuit filed in a New York federal court names New York City Mayor Eric Adams and several other city officials as defendants. The lawsuit claims the city has enacted policies with the intent of impeding the federal government's ability to enforce immigration laws. "New York City has long been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing this country's immigration laws," the lawsuit states. "Its history as a sanctuary city dates back to 1989, and its efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement have only intensified since." The Justice Department cited New York's policy that prohibits its Department of Corrections from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, which requests that federal immigration authorities be notified upon the release of a criminal illegal immigrant from jail. The New York Police Department was subject to a similar provision, the lawsuit states. In 2014, the city further resisted cooperation with ICE, including adding an amendment to its sanctuary city policy that immigration detainers would not be honored without a warrant issued by an Article III judge (or magistrate judge) and unless the subject of the detainer had been convicted of a "violent or serious" crime within the past five years or was a possible match on the federal terrorist watch list. The lawsuit said crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the city have prompted several city leaders to call for cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Attorney General Pam Bondi said the federal government was left with no choice but to protect New Yorkers. "If New York's leaders won't step up to protect their citizens, we will," she wrote on X. U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliatakis, R-N.Y., applauded the move, calling sanctuary polices "misguided," "costly and dangerous." "Restoring public safety in our communities starts with New York City cooperating with ICE's detainer requests. Failing to do so keeps dangerous criminals on our streets," she wrote on X. The lawmaker said she filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that showed more 16,000 crimes were committed by thousands of people who were living in hotels and shelters at taxpayer expense. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Adams and the White House. In June, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles over its sanctuary policies. The city has become embroiled in a feud with the Trump administration over its deportation raids and anti-ICE protests.
Associated Press
29 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Mexican national married to a Marine Corps veteran seeks release from immigration custody
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A woman detained at a citizenship appointment in May will not be deported following a judge's ruling this week barring her removal, but her Marine Corps veteran husband said she remains in custody at immigration detention center in Louisiana. For two months, Paola Clouatre, 25, has been held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement complex in Monroe, waiting to learn whether she will be allowed to remain in the country. Once a week she is allowed to see her husband, who makes the eight-hour roundtrip trek from Baton Rouge so the mother can breastfeed their 4-month-old baby and see their 2-year-old son. Clouatre, a Mexican national, entered the U.S. seeking asylum with her mother more than a decade ago. After marrying her husband in 2024 and applying for her green card to legally live and work in the U.S., she learned that ICE had issued an order for her deportation in 2018 after her mother failed to appear at an immigration hearing. In May, during a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services appointment in New Orleans, a staffer asked about the deportation order. Clouatre explained that she was trying to reopen her case, with her husband telling The Associated Press that he and his wife were trying 'to do the right thing.' Soon after, officers arrived and handcuffed Clouatre. Adrian Clouatre has spent nearly eight weeks fighting for his wife's release, remaining optimistic that their family would soon be reunited outside the detention facility located nearly 180 miles (290 kilometers) from their south Louisiana home. On Wednesday, they got word that a judge in California — the original jurisdiction for Paola Clouatre's case — had stayed the order for her removal. Adrian Clouatre welcomed the decision. He said their lawyer is preparing paperwork seeking his wife's release, though it's not guaranteed and could take weeks even in the best of scenarios. 'I just keep telling our son, ''Mom's coming home soon,'' Adrian Clouatre said. Meanwhile, the couple's lawyer is working to get the Baton Rouge mother's green card process back on track, The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune reported. While the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has already ruled that the couple has a valid marriage, the process has been held up amid the legal battle. The Baton Rouge mother is one of tens of thousands of people in custody as part of President Donald Trump's pledge to remove millions of people who are in the country without legal permission. Clouatre said GOP U.S. Sen. John Kennedy has also requested that the Department of Homeland Security release his wife from custody. Kennedy's office did not return AP's emailed request for comment. Kennedy is not the first Louisiana Republican to get involved in an immigration case in the reliably red state. Earlier this month, An Iranian mother, who was detained by ICE after living in the U.S. for nearly five decades, was released following advocacy from Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
