Venezuelan Man Posing as High School Teen Sentenced to Prison (DOJ)

TOLEDO, Ohio - A 24-year-old Venezuelan man residing unlawfully in Perrysburg, Ohio, who was enrolled as a student at a local high school, has been sentenced for lying on immigration forms and on applications to purchase a firearm.

Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp after pleading guilty in September to the following charges in an indictment:

• Possession of a Firearm by an Alien Unlawfully in the United States
• Making a False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm
• Making or Using False Writings or Documents.

He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. Labrador-Sierra is subject to a detainer from the United States Border Patrol and will be taken into administrative immigration custody following the completion of his sentence. Judge Knepp imposed the sentence Jan. 23.

According to the indictment, the defendant submitted a false date of birth to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on federal applications for Temporary Protective Status and Employment Authorization documents in 2024 and 2025.

In the original criminal complaint and underlying affidavit filed in May 2025, investigators learned that Perrysburg Schools made a report to local police that they received information indicating that Labrador-Sierra was posing as a student attending Perrysburg High School. Upon further investigation, agents found that he was not a minor but was instead a 24-year-old man who had enrolled under false pretenses.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection−Sandusky Bay Station, FBI Toledo Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the City of Perrysburg Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Wood County Prosecutor's Office.

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Melching and Tracey Tangeman for the Northern District of Ohio.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.