A 24-year-old Venezuelan migrant was arrested for pretending to be a minor to enroll in an Ohio high school. The Venezuelan man claimed to be a trafficked teenager and enrolled in the school in January 2024.
Perrysburg, Ohio, police officers arrested 24-year-old Anthony Labrador on May 19 during a traffic stop after learning of his alleged fraudulent school enrollment. The Venezuelan migrant was illegally present in the United States after his visa expired in 2023. A Perrysburg family with adopted children took the man, claiming to be a 16-year-old boy, into their home, WTVG ABC13 reported.
Labrador’s plans came unraveled when a woman claiming to be the mother of his son contacted the family and told them he was a 24-year-old father. She provided the family with an Ohio license, revealing his age of 24. His actual name on the license was Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra. The family contacted the police to report the alleged fraud, WTOL CBS11 reported.
Perrysburg police officers contacted U.S. Border Patrol agents, who reported that Labrador had a visa that expired in 2023. The agents said the Venezuelan migrant overstayed his visa.
School officials sent a letter to parents revealing that Labrador was arrested on felony forgery charges. The letter showed that the man was living with two adult legal guardians who reported the alleged fraud to the school. The family previously provided a home to foreign exchange students.
Police officials report that Labrador contacted the school in November 2023 and claimed to be a trafficked Venezuelan 16-year-old. He said he wanted to enroll in the school. He claimed a birthdate of December 2, 2007. His actual birthdate was later revealed to be March 27, 2001.
WTOL reported that Labrador used forged documents to file for the family’s guardianship, a Social Security number, federal temporary protected status, an Ohio driver’s license, and other statuses and services. “Multiple agencies agencies were misled by these falsified records,” school spokesperson Rachel Zickar told the ABC affiliate.
The article states that while attending the school under alleged false pretenses, Labrador participated in soccer and swimming.
“Through our investigation and working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it was discovered that Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, a 24-year-old from Venezuela, had used fraudulent documents to enroll in Perrysburg Schools, and was posing as a 17-year-old high school student,” Perrysburg police said in a statement published by WTOL.
FULL POLICE STATEMENT:
On Monday, May 19, 2025, the Perrysburg Local Schools contacted the Perrysburg Police Division regarding possible fraudulent activity involving one of their students. After gathering the initial information, the Police Division opened a fraud case and assigned it to the Detective Bureau for investigation.
Through our investigation and working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it was discovered that Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, a 24-year-old from Venezuela, had used fraudulent documents to enroll in Perrysburg Schools, and was posing as a 17-year-old high school student.
At approximately 4:15pm, Mr. Labrador was located riding in a vehicle on Interstate 75 by the Perrysburg Township Police Department. A traffic stop was conducted, and Mr. Labrador was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Wood County Jail, where he was booked on felony forgery charges.
This is an ongoing investigation, and the Perrysburg Police Division is working in concert with our federal partners as well as the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office.
SCHOOL STATEMENT:
On May 14, Perrysburg Schools was alerted by guardians of a student enrolled under the name Anthony Labrador that he may in fact be a 24-year-old adult. District administrators immediately met with the individual, who denied the claim. He was directed to stay off school property, and the district launched a review. We contacted Perrysburg Police and shared our findings. Their investigation led to Labrador’s arrest on May 19 for felony forgery.
This individual used forged documents not only to enroll in school, but also to obtain legal guardianship, a Social Security number, an Ohio driver’s license, and federal Temporary Protected Status. Multiple agencies were misled by these falsified records.
While the deception was complex and far-reaching, Perrysburg Schools acted swiftly and appropriately once concerns were raised.
What’s most heartbreaking is how many responded in good faith. Staff and local families offered support to someone they believed was a vulnerable teen. Their compassion reflects the best of our community. Though trust was violated, we remain proud of those who chose to help.
Student safety remains our highest priority. We are committed to transparency and to strengthening safeguards that protect every child in our schools.
Labrador remains in the Wood County jail on felony forgery charges. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will likely place an immigration detainer on the Venezuelan national. If he makes the $50,000 bond, he will be required to wear an ankle monitor and have no contact with the school or the family with whom he lived. His travel would be limited to Wood County.
A Toledo-based non-profit, Advocating Opportunity, represents Labrador in an asylum application. A spokesman for the group told WTOL they have nothing that leads them to believe he “anything other than a 17-year-old victim of human trafficking.”
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
