17-year-old high school student was actually a 28-year-old woman, Louisiana cops say

In a bizarre scenario straight out of a movie, a 28-year-old woman pretended to be 17 and managed to successfully enroll as a ninth grader in a Louisiana high school, investigators say.

The masquerade came to an end June 13, when deputies with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested the woman and her 46-year-old mother on fraud charges, according to a news release.

“On Monday, May 29, ... detectives were notified by officials with the St. Charles Parish Public Schools of a possible adult attending Hahnville High School in Boutte, LA during the 2022-2023 school year,” officials said.

“School administration received a tip that a female student, who was on record as being 17 years old, was in fact an adult possibly in her mid 20’s. School Administration began an internal investigation and later notified the sheriff’s office of their findings.”

The woman, who is from Honduras, attended the school an entire year as a ninth grader before being discovered, officials said at a press conference.

She entered the U.S. in the fall of 2021, and Sheriff Greg Champagne said photos indicate “she could very easily be taken for a young teenager.”

Detectives say her mother, who is living in the country on an expired visa, used a fraudulent passport and birth certificate to enroll her daughter in school.

“The big question from parents is: What’s the purpose of this? Why was she doing it? Is there something nefarious?” Champagne said at a press conference.

“Based upon everything that we know, the answer is ‘no.’ She was in school. She minded her own business. She did her school work. She caused no trouble. She was not a disciplinary problem. ... The information we got about the reason for her doing this was simple: She wanted to learn English.”

The mother and daughter, who share a home in Boutte, are charged with one count each of injury to public records, a law covering the alteration or falsification of public records. If found guilty, the two could pay thousands of dollars in fines and serve up to 5 years prison time.

The school is about 25 miles west of New Orleans and has about 1,400 students in grades 9 through 12, according to the district. May 24 was the last day of classes for the 2022-23 school year, and seniors graduated May 17, records show.

District officials released a statement noting their enrollment requirements and procedures are aligned with state law.

In this case, however, the standard documents provided by a parent “may have been fraudulent.”

“As a result of this discovery, St. Charles Parish Public Schools is conducting an audit of enrollment documents for students currently enrolled in St. Charles Parish Public Schools, is reviewing student enrollment policy and procedures, and will make enhancements based upon that review,” the district said in a news release.

“Moving forward, the school system will provide additional required training for school and district level employees focused on recognizing the signs of potentially fraudulent documents.”

This story was originally published June 14, 2023 at 7:29 AM with the headline "17-year-old high school student was actually a 28-year-old woman, Louisiana cops say."