Latest news with #AnthonyEmmanuelLabradorSierra
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Illegal immigrant who enrolled in Ohio high school claiming to be a teenager hit with federal gun charges
A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against 24-year-old Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who was residing in Perrysburg, Ohio, where he also attended high school claiming to be a teenager until last month. The grand jury returned the indictment this week, charging Labrador Sierra with possession of a firearm by an alien who is in the U.S. unlawfully, making a false statement while purchasing a firearm, and making or using false documents, the DOJ said in a news release. The indictment alleges that Labrador Sierra submitted a false date of birth to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on federal applications to acquire Temporary Protective Status and Employment Authorization Documents in 2024 and 2025. The suspect also allegedly possessed a Taurus G3C 9mm semiautomatic pistol, which he was not allowed to have, since he was in the U.S. illegally, and the DOJ alleges that Labrador Sierra submitted false information to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to purchase the firearm. Local Charges Dropped As Feds Target Venezuelan Accused Of Posing As Teen At Ohio High School He allegedly provided false statements on a federal form to purchase the firearm and made statements to deceive the licensed firearms dealer at the point of sale. For example, the indictment alleges that Labrador Sierra said he was not a U.S. citizen or national; was not illegally or unlawfully in the U.S.; and was not an alien who entered the U.S. under a non-immigrant visa. Read On The Fox News App If Labrador Sierra is convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison for possessing a firearm as an illegal alien. He could also face 10 years in prison for making a false statement while purchasing a firearm and up to five years in prison for making or using false documents or writings. Earlier, court documents showed that Labrador Sierra had been charged with forgery after he allegedly enrolled in a public high school using fraudulent documents. Venezuelan Man Who Allegedly Posed As Teen Participated In Ohio High School Swimming Events The Perrysburg Police Department said last month that it had been contacted by the Perrysburg Local Schools about possible fraudulent activity involving one of its students. A fraud case was ultimately established and handed over to the department's detectives for further investigation. Detectives worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and it was discovered that Labrador was a 24-year-old from Venezuela. Investigators also learned that Labrador Sierra had used fraudulent documents to enroll in Perrysburg Schools and was posing as a 16-year-old student. Venezuelan Man Arrested After Posing As Teen To Enroll In Ohio High School Perrysburg School officials said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital that Labrador Sierra had been enrolled at Perrysburg High School under the name and age of a 16-year-old unaccompanied minor on Jan. 11, 2024, in accordance with federal and state requirements for enrolling students experiencing homelessness or without a legal guardian. Between Jan. 11, 2024, and May 14, 2025, the school said, Labrador Sierra obtained documentation and support, further complicating the situation. For instance, he obtained a state-issued driver's license, social security number and Temporary Protective Status (TPS) from U.S. Immigration. The school also said that Labrador had completed an application for a visa with help from Advocating Opportunities, which provides free legal assistance. Venezuelan Illegal Alien, Alleged Tren De Aragua Leader In California, Arrested On Immigration Charges The Wood County Juvenile Court granted guardianship of Labrador Sierra to a Perrysburg family. School officials said the guardians had contacted the school on May 14 to report that they had received information indicating Labrador Sierra was not a minor, but instead a 24-year-old man. Labrador Sierra reportedly denied the allegation when district administrators met with him on May 15. The school district issued a statement shortly after his arrest, noting that Labrador Sierra had been a member of the junior varsity soccer and swim teams. Labrador Sierra was ultimately taken into custody during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 on Tuesday afternoon. DHS told Fox News they have located Labrador Sierra's information under a different spelling of his name. They added that Labrador Sierra is a visa overstay who first came to the U.S. in 2019. DHS also confirmed that Labrador Sierra has received article source: Illegal immigrant who enrolled in Ohio high school claiming to be a teenager hit with federal gun charges
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ohio High Schooler Was Actually 24-Year-Old Man Who Overstayed Visa: Police
A 24-year-old Venezuelan man is accused of fraudulently enrolling himself in an Ohio high school as a 16-year-old, which allowed him to stay in the U.S. undetected for over a year until a woman came forward last week, contending that he is the father of her child. Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra was arrested near Toledo on forgery charges Monday and also faces a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement after allegedly overstaying a work visa that expired in 2023, local and federal authorities said. According to police records, Labrador Sierra enrolled himself in Perrysburg High School in late 2023 using a fake birth certificate that listed him as born in Venezuela as Anthony Labrador on Dec. 2, 2007. He allegedly told school officials that he was unhoused and trafficked into the U.S. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, passed in 1987, public schools are required to enroll unaccompanied minors without standard enrollment paperwork. He was taken in by a local couple, known for adopting and housing exchange students, who helped him legally obtain an Ohio driver's license and a Social Security card, according to a Perrysburg Police Division incident report obtained by HuffPost. Over the next 16 months, Labrador Sierra attended classes and participated in extracurricular activities, including junior varsity soccer and swimming. He also obtained Temporary Protective Status through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services using a fraudulent birth certificate, Perrysburg Schools said in a statement. 'Our school district—along with state and federal agencies—were misled by an intentional act of fraud,' the school system said. It wasn't until last week, May 14, that a 22-year-old Toledo woman came forward, identifying Labrador Sierra to his local guardians as a 24-year-old man and the father of her child, police said. The woman allegedly shared a photo of an Ohio driver's license and Social Security card showing Labrador Sierra's full name and a birthday of March 27, 2001. She also shared photos from Facebook showing her with him and a small child. Labrador Sierra's guardians immediately alerted his school about the fraud allegations, and the next day, school officials said they confronted him about it. He denied the allegations but was still directed to stay off school property until a district review, the school system said. Later, police said the school system provided authorities with pictures of several Facebook posts by a woman who identified herself as Labrador Sierra's mother. The woman on March 27 posted a photo of him wearing a Perrysburg soccer uniform and wished him a happy birthday. Further investigation found that a vehicle Labrador Sierra owned was registered to Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra under his old Ohio driver's license. Border Patrol accused that same individual of overstaying his work visa in 2023, the same year that he enrolled in the local high school, police said. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop on Monday. Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, celebrated Labrador Sierra's arrest and detainer in a statement, claiming he is 'no longer able to prey on the students of Perrysburg High School.' A police spokesperson told HuffPost on Thursday that the incident remains under investigation. It was not immediately clear whether Labrador Sierra had an attorney. Kid Rock Distances Himself From Nashville Restaurant After It Reportedly Dodged ICE Raid Democratic Rep. McIver Charged With Assault After Skirmish At ICE Center, New Jersey Prosecutor Says Trump Plans To Yank Officers From Ports And Borders To Help Juice Deportation Numbers Stop Comparing ICE To The Gestapo, Homeland Security Says
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
A 24-year-old Venezuelan man posed as a teenage homeless migrant and forged documents to enroll at an Ohio high school, officials say
A 24-year-old man was arrested Monday for allegedly forging documents to enroll in an Ohio high school, where he studied for over a year before the identity fraud was discovered, authorities said. Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra enrolled at Perrysburg High School in January 2024 with a Venezuelan birth certificate showing he was 16 years old, claiming he was a homeless migrant who had been trafficked into the country, according to a Perrysburg Police Division incident report. Labrador Sierra started at the school and was eventually placed with a local family who had previously hosted exchange students, according to the police report. The host family was granted temporary and later permanent guardianship of Labrador Sierra in 2024, and they helped him with obtaining a social security number and driver's license while he was in their custody, according to the police report. He also used forged documents to obtain federal Temporary Protective Status (TPS) from US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Perrysburg Schools said in a statement. Migrants under TPS humanitarian relief are protected from being removed from the country or detained based on their immigration status, and may obtain legal employment, according to the USCIS website. Labrador Sierra's identity first came into question on May 14, when a woman contacted the guardian family and told them he was actually a 24-year-old man and the father of her child, police said. She sent them several photos: a driver's license and social security card with Labrador Sierra's name and a March 27, 2001, birth date; and several from Facebook showing her and Labrador Sierra, along with Labrador Sierra with a child. The guardians contacted the school district that evening, according to Perrysburg Schools. Administrators met with Labrador Sierra the following day and 'he denied the allegation and asserted that the birth certificate submitted during enrollment - which indicates he is currently 17 years old - was accurate,' the school's statement says. CNN has reached out to an attorney for Labrador Sierra for comment. 'Given the seriousness of the claim, Perrysburg Schools immediately directed the guardians to keep Labrador off school property while the matter was investigated further,' the school district said. During the course of the investigation, the district said it 'found social media posts by others, including those claiming to be Labrador Sierra's family.' Police said those posts include several from a Zulay Sierra, whom they believe to be Labrador Sierra's mother based on the birth certificate he provided to the school district. One of the posts she shared shows Labrador Sierra wearing a Perrysburg soccer uniform with the caption 'Happy birthday son,' according to police. It was dated March 27 – matching the birth date on the picture of the driver's license that the woman had sent the guardians, according to the police report. Police reached out to US Customs and Border Patrol and were told Labrador Sierra 'had an expired work visa and that he was considered an overstay in this country,' according to the police report. CBP told police his visa had expired in 2023, the year he reached out to enroll in high school, police said. The Perrysburg Township Police arrested Labrador Monday during a traffic stop on a forgery warrant. He was riding in the passenger seat of the car driven by the woman who had exposed his identity to his guardian family, according to the police report. CNN has reached out to the guardian family and the woman who contacted them for comment. Labrador Sierra was arraigned Tuesday, court records show. He pleaded not guilty to a forgery charge, a fifth-degree felony. His bond was set at $50,000, and his next court date is scheduled for May 29. He may soon be facing federal charges as well, according to US Customs and Border Protection. 'Labrador is an illegal alien who overstayed his visa and has no legal status. US Border Patrol placed an immigration detainer on him with the local police department,' a CBP spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. 'Federal charges are being pursued.' Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement confirming Labrador Sierra is from Venezuela and calling his actions 'disturbing.' McLaughlin said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, also lodged a detainer against him. The school district called the situation 'highly unusual,' but added that it 'is confident proper legal channels were followed to provide support for an individual presenting themselves as an unaccompanied minor…' CNN's Hanna Park contributed to this report.
Sky News AU
21-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Venezuelan migrant dad, 24, posed as Ohio high schooler, student athlete - and tricked family into taking him in: cops
An adult Venezuelan migrant and father allegedly pretended to be a 16-year-old boy so he could enroll in an Ohio high school — and even played two sports with kids nearly a decade younger, according to police. Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra is accused of falsely presenting himself as an unaccompanied minor and enrolling at Perrysburg High School, southwest of Toledo, in January last year — and tricking a family into taking him in, according to police. When he first contacted the school in November 2023, he allegedly claimed that he had been trafficked to the US from Venezuela and said his birthday was Dec. 2, 2007, according to police documents seen by 13 ABC. However, he is allegedly a 24-year-old Venezuelan national who has children living in the US, according to prosecutors. He told school officials his name was Anthony Labrador, according to a letter sent from Perrysburg Schools Superintendent Thomas Hosler to parents and community members. Sierra was enrolled at the school for 14 months before school officials contacted the Perrysburg Police Division on Monday regarding possible fraudulent activity involving one of their students, police said in a statement on Tuesday. Cops opened a fraud case and assigned it to the Detective Bureau for investigation. 'Through our investigation and working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it was discovered that Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, a 24-year-old from Venezuela, had used fraudulent documents to enroll in Perrysburg Schools, and was posing as a 17-year-old high school student,' the statement read. Sierra lived with a Perrysburg family after his guardianship was granted by the Wood County Juvenile Court, according to Hosler. The family became suspicious about Sierra's real age and contacted the school, saying they had received information that he was, in fact, a 24-year-old man, Hosler's letter read. On May 14, the mother of Sierra's child allegedly reached out to his oblivious guardians and claimed he was 24 years old, sending them photos and documents, including an Ohio driver's license under his real name with a birthday of March 27, 2001, according to police documents. Sierra denied the allegations when he was confronted by school officials, referencing his birth certificate, which would have made him 17 as of May 14. But the school district told Sierra's guardians to keep him off school property while they investigated. Sierra smirked at the camera as he appeared in Perrysburg Municipal Court on Tuesday afternoon via video from the Wood County Jail, where he was listed as Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra. A judge set his bond at $50,000 and forbade him from leaving Wood County. He will also have to wear an ankle monitor and remain two miles away from Perrysburg High School. When asked where he would live if released, he said he would stay with a woman named Emily with whom he said he shares children. His alleged scam was uncovered after school district leaders discovered social media posts by people claiming to be Sierra's real family, WTOL 11 reported. While at the school, Sierra was involved in the school's swimming and soccer programs, Hosler told WTOL 11. He allegedly applied for and received various documentation while he was enrolled at the school, including a driver's license, a Social Security number and federal Temporary Protective Status from the US Immigration Department, according to court records. Sierra also allegedly completed a visa application with the help of Advocating Opportunities, a group that provides free legal assistance. As a non-US citizen, Sierra's charges may lead to deportation, prosecutors said. Police are looking into what prosecutors described as 'questionable material' found at the home where Sierra was staying, as well as issues he reportedly had with the school. Sierra entered a plea of not guilty on Tuesday and will be represented by a public defender. Originally published as Venezuelan migrant dad, 24, posed as Ohio high schooler, student athlete - and tricked family into taking him in: cops
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Venezuelan man, 24, posed as a teen and attended Ohio high school for more than year, officials say
A 24-year-old Venezuelan man is accused of posing as an unaccompanied minor to attend an Ohio high school in a case school officials described as 'highly unusual and deceptive.' Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, who attended Perrysburg High School for more than a year beginning as an apparent 16-year-old last January, was arrested during a traffic stop on felony forgery charges, school and police officials said Tuesday. Labrador, who had been a member of the school's JV soccer and swim teams, used fraudulent documents during the enrollment process, the Perrysburg Police Department said in a statement. The district described the allegations as "heartbreaking" and said that staff and local families had sought to support someone "they believed was a vulnerable teen. Their compassion reflects the best of our community. Though trust was violated, we remain proud of those who chose to help." Labrador was scheduled to appear in a Wood County courtroom Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear if he has a lawyer to speak on his behalf. In a statement, Perrysburg Schools said that Labrador portrayed himself as an unaccompanied minor when he sought to attend the district and was enrolled in accordance with federal and state requirements for students without a legal guardian or experiencing homelessness. At the time, he provided documentation showing immigration authorities had given him temporary protected status and a juvenile court granted guardianship to a family in Perrsyburg, the school district said. Labrador also had an Ohio driver's license and Social Security card, according to the statement. The district alleged that those documents were falsified. After his guardians contacted the school last week saying they'd obtained information that he was a 24-year-old adult, administrators met with Labrador, who denied the allegation and said that the birth certificate he provided during enrollment was accurate, according to the district. Labrador was ordered to stay away from school grounds while officials investigated the allegations and reached out to local police, according to the statement. The school's investigation uncovered social media posts from people claiming to be Labrador's real family, the district said. "This case involves highly unusual and deceptive circumstances that impacted many local, state and federal agencies," the district said. "The school district has reviewed its actions regarding enrollment and is confident proper legal channels were followed to provide support for an individual presenting themselves as an unaccompanied minor as spelled out in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act." That law, passed in 1987, requires states to ensure that homeless youth have access to the same public education as other article was originally published on
