Woman, 28, arrested for posing as 17-year-old student at Louisiana high school

A mother and daughter were arrested in Louisiana this week for allegedly using fraudulent paperwork to enroll the daughter, who is an adult, in a high school near New Orleans, authorities said.

The mother, 46-year-old Marta Elizeth Serrano-Alvarado, and daughter, 28-year-old Martha Jessenia Gutierrez-Serrano, face one count each of injuring public records, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office. Conviction of the crime in the first degree can carry a prison sentence of up to five years, and a fine of up to $5,000, according to the Louisiana State Legislature. Conviction in the second degree can carry a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to $1,000.

Detectives arrested both women on Tuesday at their shared residence in Boutte. The arrests came several weeks after authorities received a report from officials at St. Charles Parish Public Schools about an adult potentially attending Hahnville High School, which is also in Boutte, during the 2022-23 academic year. 

𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋 𝟐𝟖-𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑-𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐍...

Posted by St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Administrators told the sheriff's office they had been given a tip suggesting that a student, whose record indicated she was 17, was actually an adult in her mid-20s. School officials notified the sheriff after conducting an internal investigation. It is not clear how much contact Gutierrez-Serrano may have had with other students at the school, CBS affiliate WWL-TV reported.

The probe later conducted by detectives at the sheriff's office found that Serrano-Alvarado had allegedly enrolled her daughter at Hahnville High School using a fraudulent passport and birth certificate, the office said. Authorities have asked anyone with information related to the investigation to contact the special investigations division at St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office.  

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.