4 Held in Forgery of Official Documents

Police have arrested three men and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of manufacturing fake birth certificates, driver’s licenses and immigration, Social Security and insurance cards.

The arrests came after investigators received a tip Wednesday morning that a man was selling forged government documents on the street near Main and Bishop streets near downtown, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Raul Luna.

An undercover officer went to the area and purchased several realistic forgeries, each ranging in price from $45 to $75, police said.

Investigators continued watching the individual, who led them to an apartment in the 1200 block of East McFadden Avenue, where they located 1,800 false documents, including Los Angeles County and Mexican birth certificates, police said. They also discovered laminating machines and camera equipment that authorities believe had been used to make the forgeries.

“The documents appear to be real,” Luna said. “We had representatives from the Mexican Consulate review the forged Mexican birth certificates, and they had the Mexican stamps and seals on them, and they said they were of a high quality and would easily fool the general public.”

The suspects were identified as Vicente Arcadio and Jomero Pascual Herrera, both 39 and of Santa Ana, and Manuel Pineda Reyes, 31, of Long Beach.

They were being held Thursday in Santa Ana Jail, each in lieu of $10,000 bail, Luna said.

The juvenile’s name was being withheld because of his age.