Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.
QUESTION: What was the sentence for Betty Gracia and Anthony Portillo for money laundering?
Submitted by: Forty Niner Wayne, Sacramento
ANSWER: Anthony Portillo of El Dorado Hills and his mother, Betty Gracia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Sacramento in April 2011 to money laundering and concealing a felony respectively.
The case involved Portillo's fraudulent application for a loan to purchase a $2.75 million home in Shingle Springs.
According to a story in The Bee, Portillo used his mother's name and credit history to obtain the loan. Court papers showed that Portillo submitted his mother's bank statements, which had been falsified to reflect large account balances ranging from $700,000 to $1 million.
When federal agents asked Gracia about the amounts, she lied and said she had a large income, according to the papers.
The two initially were to be sentenced June 27, 2011. According to federal court online records, Gracia was sentenced Jan. 17, 2012, to 60 months probation and a $1,000 fine.
Portillo still awaits sentencing, with the matter continued "to allow further investigation into issues relevant to the sentencing," according to court documents. Judgment and sentencing currently are scheduled Nov. 13.
Have a Sacto 911 question? Submit it here.









About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.