CAPTAIN OF EMBRAER-145 REPORTS MORE BAGS ON BOARD THAN INDICATED ON LOAD MANIFEST. BELIEVES THE NUMBER MAY HAVE BEEN PURPOSELY FALSIFIED BY GROUND PERSONNEL.

Narrative

WE WERE TRYING TO SQUEEZE ON EVERY LAST BIT OF PAYLOAD TO ACCOMMODATE ALL BAGS AND PAX WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN THE PROVIDED PAPERWORK AND ACARS WT AND BAL PROGRAM. UPON RECEIVING THE LOAD SHEET FROM THE RAMP; IT WAS INDICATED THAT THERE WERE X (DON'T REMEMBER; NOT IMPORTANT) BAGS IN THE FORWARD CARGO BIN AND 9 BAGS IN THE AFT CARGO BIN. USING THIS INFO AND OUR OWN CALCULATIONS WE WERE ABLE TO ALLOW 1 MORE JUMPSEATER TO RIDE IN THE CABIN. THE ACARS WT AND BAL PROGRAM GAVE US VALID TKOF NUMBERS FOR THIS SCENARIO. AFTER THE DOOR WAS CLOSED; PAPERWORK HANDED OUT; AND THE JETWAY REMOVED; THE TUG DRIVER RELAYED TO US THROUGH THE HEADSET THAT THERE WERE AN ADDITIONAL 2 BAGS GOING INTO THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. I ASKED IF THESE BAGS WERE INCLUDED IN THE 9 ON THE PAPERWORK; OR IF THEY WERE IN ADDITION. HE SAID THEY WERE IN ADDITION; AND I TOLD HIM TO STAND BY WHILE WE CHKED THE ACARS. WHEN THE NUMBERS FROM THE ACARS WT AND BAL CAME BACK; WE WERE UNABLE TO TAKE EITHER BAG AS IT WOULD HAVE EXCEEDED OUR MTOW BASED ON MAX LNDG WT AND SCHEDULED BURN TO STL. I TOLD HIM WE COULD EITHER REMOVE THOSE 2 BAGS; OR WE WOULD HAVE TO PULL THE JUMPSEATER OFF. HE TOLD ME TO HANG TIGHT WHILE HE CHKED WITH ANOTHER RAMPER. WHEN HE RETURNED HE TOLD ME THE OTHER RAMPER HAD TOLD HIM THAT THE 2 ADDITIONAL BAGS WERE INCLUDED IN THE 9 ON THE PAPERWORK. WITH THIS INFO; WE DEPARTED. AFTER THE FLT WAS COMPLETED; THE FO CONDUCTED HIS POSTFLT AND COUNTED 11 BAGS BEING TAKEN OUT OF THE AFT CARGO BIN (2 MORE THAN THE LOAD SHEET HAD INDICATED). AT NO TIME DURING THE OP OF THE FLT WAS ANY STRUCTURAL LIMITATION OF THE AIRPLANE EXCEEDED. WE ARE ALSO NOT SURE IF THIS WAS A MISTAKE ON THE PART OF THE RAMP PERSONNEL; OR IF THERE WAS A DELIBERATE INTENT TO MISLEAD US INTO THINKING WE WERE WITHIN THE LIMITS FOR THE FLT; TO AVOID FURTHER DELAY AND HASSLE. MAKE IT KNOWN TO THE RAMP SUPVRS THAT FALSIFYING LOAD SHEETS EITHER BY MISTAKE OR DELIBERATELY IS DANGEROUS AT BEST; ESPECIALLY SEEING AS COMPANY HAS BEEN REINFORCING TO THE FLT CREWS ABOUT CHKING THE REAR CARGO COMPARTMENT.