Riverside couple arrested in alleged federal Judge signature forgery

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A Riverside man and his girlfriend have been arrested on federal charges alleging they forged a federal judge’s signature on a court order seeking the return of their four children.

Alan David Cadena, 43, and LayCee Shyann Sprouse, 34, are charged with misuse of federal judicial signatures, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The case stems from an August 2025 child-welfare investigation by Riverside County officials. According to a federal affidavit, the couple’s four children were removed from their custody following allegations involving unsanitary living conditions, recent drug use, general neglect and Sprouse’s failure to address mental-health issues.

After a state court ruled in favor of the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Cadena and Sprouse filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking the children’s return.

Prosecutors allege that on April 21, 2026, the couple filed an order bearing a forged federal judge’s signature that directed officials to return the children. The judge allegedly confirmed two days later that she had not issued the order and that her signature had been forged.

Each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison if convicted.

The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The investigation is being conducted by special agents with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.