Cops: 'Teen' on JV Teams at High School Was Actually 24

A person that cops say is a 24-year-old Venezuelan man has been accused of enrolling at Perrysburg High School in Ohio under the guise of being an unaccompanied 16-year-old minor. Police say Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra attended the school for more than a year starting in January 2024, taking part on the JV soccer and swim teams while using what authorities now allege were fraudulent documents for his enrollment, per NBC News.

Labrador was arrested during a recent traffic stop and is facing felony forgery charges. According to school officials, he presented paperwork claiming he'd been granted Temporary Protected Status by immigration authorities and that a local family had been named his legal guardians by a juvenile court. He also held an Ohio driver's license and a Social Security card, which authorities now say were phonies, and he told the school he'd been a victim of human trafficking, per ABC News.

The school district stated it enrolled Labrador in line with legal obligations under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal law ensuring public education access for students without stable housing. The case came to light when the family listed as his guardians contacted the school, saying they'd discovered he was actually an adult. Labrador denied the allegation in a meeting with administrators, maintaining his birth certificate was legitimate. After being ordered to stay off school property during the investigation, further evidence, including social media claims from people identifying as his real family members, surfaced—including a woman who claimed she was the mother of Labrador's child.

story continues below

Police contacted US Border Patrol for help, which found that Labrador was born in March 2001, had an expired work visa, and was deemed to be an "overstay in this country." School officials described the incident as "highly unusual and deceptive." "While it appears that this individual misrepresented himself and violated the trust of many, we remain proud of those who acted out of kindness and good faith," says Tom Hosler, superintendent of Perrysburg schools, per the Toledo Blade. Labrador is next scheduled for a court appearance on May 29, with a $5,000 bond. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)