Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Venezuelan man living unlawfully in Perrysburg, Ohio, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison after admitting to lying on immigration forms and firearms purchase applications. Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra, 24, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp on January 23.
Labrador-Sierra pleaded guilty in September to possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States, making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, and making or using false writings or documents.
Authorities said Labrador-Sierra used a false date of birth on federal applications for Temporary Protective Status and Employment Authorization documents submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2024 and 2025.
The case began when Perrysburg Schools reported concerns to local police about Labrador-Sierra posing as a student at Perrysburg High School. An investigation revealed that he was not a minor but a 24-year-old who had enrolled under false pretenses.
Upon completion of his prison term, Labrador-Sierra will be taken into administrative immigration custody due to a detainer from the United States Border Patrol.
"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," according to officials.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection–Sandusky Bay Station, FBI Toledo Resident Agency, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), City of Perrysburg Police Department, with assistance from the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Melching and Tracey Tangeman prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
