FRESNO -  A federal grand jury returned a 10-count superseding indictment today for a case involving the production and sale of false Social Security cards and green cards first charged in August 2018, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

Today’s superseding indictment adds three counts and a fifth defendant. Tulare residents Elfego Alcala, 46; Aida Corona, 37; Tamilene Cisneros, 48; Lupita Cisneros; and the fifth defendant, Maria Elena Soriano-Salinas, 57, are charged with conspiring to produce false identification documents, the production and sale of false identification documents, and fraud and misuse of visas and related documents.

According to court documents, in March, May, and August of 2018, the defendants engaged in transactions in which they manufactured and sold false identification documents to buyers. These documents included Social Security cards and green cards.

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

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.