A 24-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, who managed to deceive an Ohio high school into thinking he was a teenage student for more than a year, is now facing up to several decades in federal prison after admitting to his crimes.
Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra pleaded guilty on Monday to several charges connected to his fraudulent activities, which included forging immigration documents and pretending to be a 16-year-old when he enrolled at Perrysburg High School in Toledo in January 2024, as stated by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
According to prosecutors, Sierra, who crossed into the U.S. in 2019 and was permitted to stay until March 2020, unlawfully possessed a firearm purchased using his counterfeit documents.
This alarming ruse commenced in November 2023 when the accused reached out to the school, alleging that he had been trafficked from Venezuela and claiming a birth date of December 2, 2007, as revealed in court documents reviewed by 13 ABC.
Sierra assumed the name Anthony Labrador and spent 14 months attending classes and allegedly engaging in sports activities with students significantly younger than him, according to an announcement made by Perrysburg Schools Superintendent Thomas Hosler to parents and the community.
The impersonator resided with a local family who believed they were aiding a homeless teenager after a guardianship was provided by the Wood County Juvenile Court.
However, the family grew suspicious of Sierra’s actual age in May and alerted the school, stating they had received information suggesting he was an adult with children, Hosler reported.
His guardians eventually uncovered a prepaid cellphone, a fraudulent Michigan identification card showing a 1999 birthdate, and a firearm with three loaded 9mm magazines hidden under his mattress, as noted in police reports.
Sierra was hit with an ICE detainer following his arrest.
Prosecutors indicated he utilized his fabricated birthdate to apply for and obtain various documents, including an Ohio driver’s license, a Social Security number, and federal Temporary Protected Status from U.S. immigration officials.
Sierra pleaded guilty to unlawful firearm possession by an alien, making false statements during firearm purchases, and two counts related to the fabrication of documents.
If convicted on all charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Sierra is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 2026.
