High School Basketball Star Revealed to be 22-Year-Old Imposter

Guerdwich Montimere led his Texas high school basketball team to the state playoffs, but this week was revealed to be a 22-year-old imposter. Police arrested the 6-foot, five-inch fraud who was playing for the Permian Panthers as 16-year-old sophomore "Jerry Joseph."

Police have charged Montimere with presenting false identification.

The team's coach, Danny Wright, said that he is still in disbelief after being told about the deception by education officials. Wright had allowed Montimere to move into his home in the summer of 2009 after he claimed to be homeless.

Wright told reporters:

“I didn’t do anything for my other sons that I didn’t do for Jerry, Guerdwich I guess, whoever he is. I feel bad for my kids that treated him like a family member and embraced him and loved him.”

Montimere is actually a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Haiti. He was found out when coaches from Florida recognized him in April as having been a star high school player in Fort Lauderdale several years ago.

Montimere had enrolled in a local junior high in February 2009 using a birth certificate that said he was 15-year-old Jerry Joseph. He then moved on to Permian High School in Odessa.