4 convicted of forgery likely face deportation

Published 6:53 am Friday, August 21, 2009

An Austin man was convicted of felony forgery Thursday and faces a likely deportation, as do three former housemates.

Jorge Luis Rodriguez-Hernandez, 20, was convicted of one count of aggravated forgery. He is sentenced to a 366-day stayed prison term and is being held for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Rodriguez-Hernandez was living with brothers Elias Gallardo-Ambriz, 25, and Adrian Gallardo-Ambriz, 20, as well as Orlando Padilla-Espinoza, 22, at 1209 First St. N.E. in a four-bedroom apartment.

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All four have been convicted of felony forgery.

Their home was searched July 10 by police. 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.