Four face forgery charges

Published 9:50 am Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A number of family members living together in an Austin apartment are facing felony forgery charges following a Friday search.

Jorge Luis Rodriguez-Hernandez, 20, his brother-in-law Elias Gallardo-Ambriz, 25, and Gallardo-Ambriz’s brother Adrian Gallardo-Ambriz, 20, all face one count of aggravated forgery. Another resident, Orlando Padilla-Espinoza, 22, also faces one count.

The men were all living at 1209 First St. N.E. in a four-bedroom apartment. Rodriguez-Hernandez’s sister is also a resident but has not been charged in the case.

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Rodriguez-Hernandez and his sister were home when officers arrived for the search, according to a court complaint. The sister said her husband, Elias Gallardo-Ambriz, was working at the Austin Packaging Company with an alias. She showed officers fraudulent documents he had been using, and the officers went to APC and arrested Elias Gallardo-Ambriz.

Rodriguez-Hernandez told police he had been working using an alias at Quality Pork Processors. He showed workers where his fraudulent documents were in the house.

His sister said Padilla-Espinoza and Adrian Gallardo-Ambriz had also been working at QPP with aliases.

Officers went to the plant and questioned the two.

They both admitted to using aliases and were taken to county jail, according to the complaint.

Officers found fraudulent Minnesota IDs for each suspect, as well as a number of fraudulent birth certificates and Social Security cards, at the house.

All four men appeared in court on July 13 and will be arraigned on July 23. They are all in Mower County custody on $50,000 bail, or $25,000 with conditions.