25-Year-Old Man Arrested After Posing as 17 to Play High School Basketball

Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley allegedly posed as a 17-year-old Hurricane Harvey refugee so he could play boys' basketball at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, Texas.

On Tuesday, the Dallas Morning News reported the 25-year-old, who also spent time at Skyline High School, was arrested Friday on a charge of tampering with government records.

The mother of a 14-year-old female student told the paper he dated her daughter while at Hillcrest High.

Gilstrap-Portley, who officials say was operating under the alias Rashun Richardson, was named the District 11-5A Offensive Player of the Year during the 2017-18 season.

Dallas Independent School District spokeswoman Robyn Harris said they believe his "primary motivation" for using Hurricane Harvey to get enrolled was basketball, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"He took that as an opportunity to gain access to our schools," she said. "He was fairly savvy to be able to utilize that type of position, knowing that we were accepting Harvey students."

His scheme was discovered when one of Gilstrap-Portley's former coaches, who witnessed him graduate from North Mesquite High School, saw him playing in an April tournament and alerted the Hillcrest staff.

The report noted Gilstrap-Portley bonded out of Dallas County Jail after his Friday arrest.

Dallas ISD superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa told NBC DFW the district will "follow better protocols to try and prevent this from happening."