Austin man faces felony forgery charges
Published 9:20 am Thursday, October 1, 2009
An Austin man and his wife are facing felony forgery charges for allegedly using aliases to work — while not reporting wages.
Leida Sebastian-Matacua, 22, and Juan Carlos Rubio, 29, appeared in Mower County court Tuesday on one count each of aggravated forgery. They are scheduled for arraignment Oct. 8.
According to a court complaint, a detective in Stearns County first began investigating the two and notified Mower County authorities that he believed they resided at 507 First Ave. S.W. in Austin.
The detective said the two were being looked at in Stearns County for not reporting employment or wages and wrongfully receiving assistance.
Sebastian-Matacua was charged Aug. 25 in Stearns County for the alleged offense, which is a felony.
Austin Police Department Det. David McKichan went to 507 First Ave. on Sept. 14 to monitor the two.
The complaint states that the two were seen leaving in a sedan at around 6:30 a.m. The detective followed them to the Freeborn County-Iowa border and believed they were going to work in Northwood, Iowa.
McKichan checked Mower County Human Services records, which listed Sebastian-Matacua and Rubio as living with two small children at the Austin property. Records also indicated that a “Leonel Jose Molina,” which authorities believe is Rubio’s work alias, was the home’s source of income.
“Molina” was listed as working at Select Foods in Albert Lea as of January 2009.
The detective called the human resources department at Select Foods and was notified that “Molina” had worked there up until August.
A “Michelle Garcia,” which authorities believe is Sebastian-Matacua’s alias, had applied but was turned down, the complaint states.
On Monday, when the two were again leaving their Austin residence in a sedan, McKichan stopped the car and served a search warrant.
Sebastian-Matacua and Rubio were both passengers, and they both indicated to the detective that they went by aliases as well as their given names.
The driver, Heriberto Torres, has a canceled license and has been cited seven times for driving without a license or driving after withdrawal since 2006, according to the complaint.
He was taken to jail, while two other passengers were identified and released.