❓WHAT HAPPENED: A 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, placed in an Ohio school alongside American children, has pleaded guilty to charges of lying on immigration forms and illegally purchasing a firearm.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Perrysburg High School, and local guardians.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Labrador-Sierra was enrolled in Perrysburg High School in Ohio. He pleaded guilty on Monday.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This provided him with an Ohio driver’s license, a Social Security card, and a work permit.” – Perrysburg Schools statement.
🎯IMPACT: Labrador-Sierra faces up to 30 years in prison.
A 24-year-old Venezuelan man, Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra, pleaded guilty on Monday to federal charges of lying on immigration forms and illegally purchasing a firearm after posing as a 16-year-old high school student in Ohio. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Labrador-Sierra used fraudulent documents to enroll at Perrysburg High School under the identity of a minor, attending alongside American children.
Federal prosecutors revealed that in both 2024 and 2025, Labrador-Sierra submitted false information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) while applying for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Employment Authorization Documents. He also used fraudulent identification to illegally purchase a Taurus G3C 9mm semiautomatic pistol.
Perrysburg Schools reported that Labrador-Sierra was enrolled as an unaccompanied minor, in line with federal and state regulations that require schools to accept children without legal guardians. According to the school system, Labrador-Sierra “worked with immigration attorneys to file for Temporary Protective Status, which was granted by the U.S. Immigration Service,” adding, “This provided him with an Ohio driver’s license, a Social Security card, and a work permit.”
During his time at the school, he joined the junior varsity soccer and swim teams.
The scheme unraveled in May 2025 when local guardians, who believed they were helping a homeless teenager, discovered his real age and reported him to school officials. He was arrested about a month later during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 75. Authorities charged him with possession of a firearm by an alien, making false statements during the firearm purchase, and using fraudulent documents. He now faces up to 30 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 23, 2026.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about immigration enforcement and fraud involving unaccompanied minors.
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