The 24-year-old tricked an entire community into believing he was just 16. Photo / Perrysburg Police
The 24-year-old tricked an entire community into believing he was just 16. Photo / Perrysburg Police
A 24-year-old man posed as an Ohio teenager for more than a year in what has been described as an incredible “movie-like” con.
Anthony Labrador-Sierra pleaded guilty to four charges on September 22 (local time) after he was caught using false documents to fake his age.
In 2023, Labrador-Sierra enrolledat Perrysburg High School under the pretence he was a 16-year-old Venezuelan migrant, according to the New York Post.
While he was telling the truth about his Venezuelan origin, he had subtracted eight years off his age, fooling the Perrysburg community into believing he was a teenager for 16 months.
The Independent reported that the 24-year-old father seemed like an ordinary student, playing on the school football team and even attending dinners at the homes of his friend’s parents.
“I was questioning what the truth was”, Camacho told the New York Post, “did he lie to me about being an adult? Or did he lie to them about being a child?”
Camacho called her ex-fiancee’s legal guardians, Kathy and Brad Mefferd, who searched his room – discovering a gun, cash and false documents.
The Mefferds had believed Labrador-Sierra was a homeless trafficking victim when they took him in.
Labrador-Sierra was actually a teenager when he entered the US in 2019. Photo / US Department of Justice
He reportedly provided false documents when enrolling in the school, having acquired a birth certificate that listed his birthdate as December 2, 2007.
In a statement, Perrysburg Schools said Labrador-Sierra “wove a complex tapestry of lies – carefully designed to manipulate systems and deceive individuals at every level”.
“As we continue to pull at those threads, more of the picture is coming into view – revealing just how calculated and far-reaching his deception truly was.”
It is still unclear why Labrador-Sierra decided to reinvent himself as a teenager.
Maria Ermie, leader of education group Perrysburg Stands Up, was suspicious of the man’s motivations, noting “there are learning opportunities, education opportunities as an adult”.
“So again, it leads you to believe that there were nefarious reasons for him wanting to be in a school district with minors, not only misleading the young girls that he’s dating, but also their parents.”
Several sources told the Independent Labrador-Sierra dated “fellow” students while he attended the school.
He will be sentenced on January 23 (local time) and faces 15 years’ jail for possessing firearms, 10 years for falsifying documents to purchase firearms and five years for falsifying immigration documents.
Due to his status as an illegal migrant, he has been transferred to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody.
