In Perrysburg, Ohio, a 24-year-old man from Venezuela successfully masqueraded as a 16-year-old student, deceiving local residents, classmates, and the foster family who took him in.
Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra claimed to be a teenage victim of human trafficking, but in reality, he was an adult with a child from a previous relationship in nearby Toledo.
His deception lasted more than a year, aided by a falsified birth certificate that reduced his age by six years, convincing officials of his fabricated identity.
Everything unraveled one evening when Evelyn Camacho, 22, the mother of Labrador-Sierra’s daughter, placed a call to the home where he was living under the guise of a teenager.
The couple caring for him, Kathy and Brad Mefferd, both in their 60s, answered the phone.
“I was trying to figure out the truth,” Camacho shared with The Post. “Was he hiding his adulthood from me? Or was he misleading them about being a minor? I was confused because I care about him-he’s the father of my child.”
Following the call, the Mefferds contacted the school, which then alerted law enforcement. A search of Labrador-Sierra’s room uncovered disturbing items including a burner phone, counterfeit identification, a semi-automatic handgun, and three loaded 9mm magazines, as detailed in the arrest affidavit.
Labrador-Sierra has since admitted to providing false information on immigration documents and on a firearm purchase application.
He is now in the custody of ICE and faces the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.
When asked about his motivations, Camacho, a U.S. citizen, responded, “That’s a tough question. Probably only he knows why he did it. Maybe not even he fully understands. Anthony tends to act on impulse.”
The revelation has left the community stunned, with many questioning how easily Labrador-Sierra managed to deceive officials.
“People were definitely taken aback,” said a local soccer mom whose son attended Perrysburg High and knew Labrador-Sierra. “In our somewhat conservative town, many wondered, ‘How did he slip past the school’s checks?'”
A statement from Perrysburg Schools emphasized, “We have reviewed our enrollment procedures and confirmed compliance with federal regulations. Schools must immediately enroll unaccompanied minors without the usual paperwork. Although not required, we did obtain a birth certificate.”
According to the Perrysburg Police Division report, the story began on November 1, 2023, when Labrador-Sierra contacted the school to enroll, claiming homelessness, Venezuelan origin, and being a human trafficking survivor seeking education.
On January 13, 2024, he met with school officials and presented a birth certificate indicating a birthdate of December 2, 2007. The issuing country of this document remains unclear.
He moved in with the Mefferds, a family with four children, on March 24, and they were granted permanent guardianship by November 2024.
To the community, Labrador-Sierra appeared to be a typical high school student finding refuge in their town.
The soccer mom recalled, “He was charming and well-liked. Looking back, he was physically more developed than most teens and seemed more mature.”
Despite visible tattoos, he integrated well enough that he was invited to a dinner hosted by one of the families for the school’s soccer team, with no suspicions raised.
Ohio State Representative Haraz N. Ghanbari criticized the school’s vetting process, suggesting that Customs and Border Protection should have been involved to investigate the trafficking claims.
“They could have taken his biometric data, which would have immediately revealed discrepancies in his stated birthdate,” Ghanbari explained, emphasizing the importance of verifying such claims for the individual’s protection and public safety.
Camacho located Labrador-Sierra through mutual acquaintances but never intended for him to be arrested.
Evelyn Camacho and Anthony Labrador-Sierra
“What frustrates me most is that while I struggled to raise our daughter alone, he was living a carefree teenage life without responsibilities, being cared for by others,” Camacho lamented.
0 Comments