A 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela was arrested this week after fraudulently enrolling at an Ohio high school by posing as a 16-year-old student — and shockingly, he managed to live with unsuspecting guardians, obtain a driver’s license, play on school sports teams, and infiltrate the school system for months.
Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, an adult male with an expired visa, was arrested Monday by police in Perrysburg, Ohio after it was revealed he had been masquerading as a minor for nearly five months.
According to law enforcement, Labrador contacted Perrysburg Schools back in November 2023 claiming he was a homeless immigrant and victim of human trafficking, Action News reported.
He produced a Venezuelan birth certificate with a forged birthdate of December 2, 2007 — portraying himself as just 16 years old.
The school district shockingly accepted the documentation with little scrutiny and allowed Labrador to begin attending Perrysburg High School on January 19, 2024.
Not only that — he quickly became involved in extracurricular activities, joining the junior varsity soccer and swim teams.
The story gets even more disturbing.
According to Action News, Labrador was soon placed with a local couple, Kathy and Brad Melfred, who had previously housed exchange students. The well-meaning couple even obtained permanent guardianship over the illegal alien through the Wood County Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division, helped him secure a Social Security number, and assisted in acquiring an Ohio driver’s license — all based on completely fraudulent information.
But on May 14, everything unraveled.
The Melfreds were contacted by a woman named Evelyn Camacho, who stated she was the mother of Labrador’s child — and that Labrador was actually 24 years old, born on March 27, 2001. She backed up her claims by providing a photo of Labrador’s real Venezuelan ID and pictures of them together with their child on Facebook.
Police reached out to U.S. Border Patrol and confirmed that Labrador had indeed overstayed a work visa that expired years ago. His entire enrollment into the school system — and subsequent involvement in legal and educational systems — had been a total sham.
Labrador was arrested while traveling on Interstate 75 and is currently being held on felony forgery charges at the Wood County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for May 29.
Ohio State Rep. Haraz N. Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) issued a blistering statement slamming the incident as a complete failure of local, state, and federal safeguards.
“Tuesday afternoon, I was informed of the arrest of 24-year-old Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, who is currently being held at the Wood County Jail on serious felony forgery charges.
Mr. Labrador Sierra has been enrolled at Perrysburg High School since January 2024 under what now appear to be deliberately fraudulent circumstances. He allegedly misrepresented himself as a 16-year-old minor, effectively infiltrating our school system and community. According to reports from Perrysburg Schools, he obtained an Ohio driver’s license and Social Security number, was granted federal Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by U.S. immigration authorities, submitted a completed visa application with assistance from Advocating Opportunities, and was even assigned legal guardianship through the Wood County Juvenile Court.
If these allegations are verified, they reveal a deeply troubling breakdown in safeguards-locally, statewide, and federally. The ability of an adult to embed himself in a public high school, under false pretenses and with apparent access to official documentation and legal support, demands immediate and thorough scrutiny.
Let me be unequivocally clear: the safety and well-being of our students and the wider community is our top priority. I commend those who identified and reported this situation to school officials, and I applaud the swift, decisive actions taken by law enforcement to protect our students.
The Perrysburg School District should continue to cooperate fully with all relevant authorities and support the ongoing investigation in every way possible. Additionally, this requires a careful review of their internal protocols to take every necessary step to ensure our schools remain safe, secure, and worthy of the trust our families place in them.
Furthermore, I am calling upon federal immigration and law enforcement agencies to conduct a full and transparent investigation into how Mr. Labrador Sierra was able to enter the United States, acquire federal and state documentation, and gain access to public education under false pretenses. This case highlights a critical need for enhanced collaboration between local and federal law agencies to prevent similar incidents in the future and to ensure the integrity of our borders and our institutions.”
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