Man accused of posing as teen student in Perrysburg charged with lying to buy firearm
[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]
TOLEDO, Ohio (WJW) — Anthony E. Labrador-Sierra, a 24-year-old Venezuelan national accused of residing in the United States illegally for years and posing as a teenager to enroll at an Ohio high school, is now charged with lying on a federal form used to purchase a firearm.
Labrador-Sierra claimed he was a U.S. citizen when applying to buy a 9-millimeter firearm from a licensed arms dealer, according to a Friday news release from Carol Skutnik, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. He's accused of giving false information to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on a required ATF form.
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He is now charged by criminal complaint with possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States, making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and using false documents, according to the release.
He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the firearm charge; 10 years on the false statements charge; and five years on the false documents charge, according to the release.
Perrysburg police and the Wood County Prosecutor's Office continue to investigate the case. Also involved are the U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI Toledo field office and the ATF.
Anyone with information on the investigation is urged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip on the FBI's website. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
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Labrador-Sierra is also charged in Wood County with a felony count of forgery, accused of using a falsified birth certificate to enroll as a student at Perrysburg High School for more than a year, claiming to be a homeless 16-year-old.
Perrysburg Police Chief Pat Jones told FOX 8 News on Wednesday that what they've learned about the case so far appears to be 'just the tip of the iceberg.'
Labrador-Sierra has been in the United States illegally since March 24, 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The department announced Wednesday that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has ordered him to be detained.
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