Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Manufacturing Counterfeit Identification Documents

FRESNO, Calif. — Lucas Lara Portillo, 39, a foreign national residing in Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 15 months in prison for conspiring to produce false identification documents, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

On Dec. 15, 2020, Judge Drozd sentenced Portillo’s co-conspirator, Isaias Herrera-Ortiz, 30, to 15 months in prison for the same offense.

According to court documents, between February 2018 and November 2019, Portillo and Herrera-Ortiz produced, possessed, transferred, and sold false identification documents. These documents included counterfeit lawful permanent resident or LPR cards and fraudulent Social Security number or SSN cards. Portillo and Herrera-Ortiz sold these documents on at least four separate occasions for an average price of $130 per set. In total, the pair was responsible for manufacturing between 25 and 99 sets of fraudulent documents.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.