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Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Local charges dropped as feds target Venezuelan accused of posing as teen at Ohio high school
An illegal immigrant from Venezuela who was allegedly caught posing as a high school student in Ohio will no longer face local charges and is now being prosecuted in a federal court. 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
CBS News
23-05-2025
- CBS News
Venezuelan man claims to be high school age, attends Ohio school for months
A Venezuelan adult is accused of lying about his age to enroll at a Northwest Ohio high school, in addition to lying on immigration forms and on applications to purchase a firearm. Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra is 24 years old, but had managed to enroll as a student at Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg, a suburb of Toledo, before his actual age was known, according to details related in a press release issued Friday from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio. Perrysburg school officials said he attended classes for months and even was involved in school sports. The U.S. Border Patrol Detroit Sector-Sandusky Bay Station was involved in the investigation. Other agencies involved included Perrysburg Police Department, Perrysburg Schools, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Toledo Field Office, Wood County (Ohio) Prosecutor's Office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives within the Department of Justice. Superintendent relates details of his enrollment Perrysburg Superintendent Thomas L. Hosler related the school district's experience and actions in a video statement posted Wednesday. "He went to extraordinary lengths to conceal his identity," Hosler said about the now former student, citing a series of forged documents and false claims about the person's circumstances. "Our school district along with the state and federal agencies and were misled by an intentional act of fraud," the superintendent said. When Labrador-Sierra enrolled at the high school in January 2024, he claimed to be an unaccompanied minor. Hosler said the school district has experience with international student records and transfers. They worked with legal representation on this case because of the complexity. The document checking included an attempt to contact what they believed to be the student's former school in Venezuela. But that school was closed. In the meantime, the student worked with immigration attorneys to get temporary protective status and later filed for a visa. This allowed him to get documents that included an Ohio driver's license and a work permit. For its part, the Wood County (Ohio) juvenile court system assigned the student to a guardianship and a host family. "All parties involved believed him to be a 16-, 17-year old student," the superintendent said. He said the community's trust was broken, citing the compassion and assistance local residents provided during the individual's time on campus. The district attorney's office said in its press release Labrador-Sierra is accused of having submitted false information to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about his date of birth in connection with applications for Temporary Protective Status and Employment Authorization documents filed during 2024 and 2025. Revocation of student status When school officials received information that the student might not be of high school age and enrolled over false pretenses, they immediately got law enforcement involved. Hosler said they met with the individual, and he was not permitted on school property while that investigation began. "We reviewed our enrollment process and confirmed we followed federal law," he added. A further complication for the school, according to the superintendent, is he had he participated in student athletics. The Ohio High School Athletic Association "confirmed Perrysburg schools followed all procedures and face no penalties," Hosler said. In a related matter, the district attorney's office has looked into a firearms possession detail. "The complaint further alleges that Labrador-Sierra does not have lawful status to purchase, own or possess a firearm in the United States, and that he submitted false information on the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473 to purchase a firearm. Among the alleged false statements he submitted when he purchased a Taurus 9mm, semiautomatic pistol from a licensed firearms dealer, were that he attested to being a United States citizen or national," the press release said. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison on the charge of possession of firearm by a felon, 10 years in prison on the charge of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, and up to five years in prison on the charge of using false documents. Follow up School and law enforcement officials say the investigation is continuing. The district attorney's office asks that anyone with information on the case call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or go to
New York Times
22-05-2025
- New York Times
Venezuelan Man Is Arrested After Posing as a High School Student in Ohio
A 24-year-old Venezuelan man suspected of using forged documents to claim to be a teenager and enroll as a student at an Ohio high school was arrested on Monday, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra was charged with forgery and later detained by the police in Perrysburg, Ohio, which said that he had been living in the United States illegally since March 24, 2020. Mr. Labrador-Sierra enrolled in January 2024 at Perrysburg High School in the city, which is about 10 miles southwest of Toledo, presenting himself as a 16-year-old student 'experiencing homelessness or without a legal guardian,' according to a statement from the school district. The court system granted guardianship of Mr. Labrador-Sierra to a local family based on documents he had provided, the school district said. More than a year later, on May 14, his guardians, who have not been publicly identified, alerted school officials that they believed Mr. Labrador-Sierra was not a teenager but a 24-year-old adult. The district asked the guardians to keep him from returning to school during an investigation into the discrepancy, school officials said. The next day, school administrators met with Mr. Labrador-Sierra to discuss the concerns. According to the district's statement, he denied the allegations and maintained that the documents he had provided, including a birth certificate showing him as now 17, were valid. It was unclear if Mr. Labrador-Sierra had pleaded in the case and if he had any legal representation. He was being held at the local jail in Wood County, Ohio, the police said. Tom Hosler, superintendent of the Perrysburg Schools, said in a statement posted on the school's website that Mr. Labrador-Sierra went to 'extraordinary lengths to conceal his identity — using forged documents to obtain a social security number, an Ohio driver's license, temporary protective status and even legal guardianship.' 'Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our students,' Mr. Hosler said in the statement. 'When we learn of a concerning situation, we act.' Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the Homeland Security Department, has lodged a detainer, a notice that it seeks to pick up Mr. Labrador-Sierra from custody, according to a statement from Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the department.
CNN
21-05-2025
- CNN
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.
CNN
21-05-2025
- CNN
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.
