New Ulm woman accused of forging estranged husband’s name on loan documents

A New Ulm woman stands accused of forging her estranged husband’s name on applications for loans totaling more than $40,000.

Cheri Lynn Portner, 46, was charged Friday in Nicollet County Court with two felony counts of aggravated forgery, and three counts of misdemeanor identity theft.

Court documents say Portner’s estranged husband reported in June 2020 that his wife applied for two loans in 2019 and listed him as a co-applicant without his permission.  The pair were apparently married but going through divorce proceedings at the time of the report.

The loans Portner applied for totaled $41,164, according to the complaint.  Investigators say Portner’s email account was listed as the contact email for both her and her husband on each loan application.

Detectives say Portner applied for both loans online at her place of employment in St. Peter, which is why she is charged in Nicollet County.