Federal authorities have charged a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally with staging her own kidnapping to solicit donations and push a false narrative against federal immigration enforcement, as reported by Fox News.
According to the Department of Justice, 41-year-old Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon of South Los Angeles was charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers.
Calderon is in federal custody following the alleged hoax, which officials say wasted time and diverted critical resources.
FAKE NEWS HOAX EXPOSED:
Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon was NEVER arrested or kidnapped by ICE or bounty hunters—this criminal illegal alien scammed innocent Americans for money and diverted limited DHS resources from removing the worst of the worst from Los Angeles communities.… pic.twitter.com/p55qNSuRfJ
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 17, 2025
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Calderon had been residing in the United States under federal law enforcement parole, which expired in 2023.
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The incident began on June 25 when Calderon’s supporters and attorneys, including an individual identified by KTLA as attorney Stephano Medina, held a press conference claiming that she had been “kidnapped” by unidentified men in unmarked vehicles outside a Jack in the Box parking lot in Los Angeles.
Medina alleged Calderon was taken to the border, presented to an ICE official, and coerced into signing self-deportation paperwork. When she allegedly refused, Medina claimed she was held in a warehouse until she agreed to sign.
Illegal immigrant Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon is now facing charges for allegedly staging a fake ICE kidnapping to solicit donations, according to the DOJ.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 18, 2025
However, a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California paints a very different picture. An affidavit alleges Calderon and others “planned a hoax kidnapping” for their personal benefit, including financial gain.
Calderon’s daughter reportedly launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking $4,500, claiming her mother had been abducted by masked men.
The daughter also filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department, prompting Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to open an investigation out of concern for Calderon’s safety.
Investigators found inconsistencies in the story, including evidence that phone calls supposedly made from borrowed phones were in fact placed from Calderon’s own phone with the caller ID intentionally blocked.
Surveillance footage reviewed by HSI showed Calderon calmly leaving the parking lot and entering a nearby sedan without any indication of distress. A marked LAPD patrol car was in the area at the time, but Calderon did not attempt to seek help.
The affidavit further alleges that Calderon and others misled federal investigators when confronted with contradictory evidence and attempted to conceal her location.
Calderon was located by HSI agents on July 5 in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield, California. She continued to claim she had been abducted by masked men.
Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, of South Los Angeles, is charged with staging a hoax kidnapping that was used to falsely blame U.S. immigration officials in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/ZkqJEyYLUU
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) July 17, 2025
If convicted, Calderon faces up to five years in federal prison for each of the two charges.
U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli commended HSI and other federal agents, stating:
“Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are ‘kidnapping’ illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents.”
HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang said his office committed significant resources to the case, only to discover it was a hoax.
“The real cost of a fraud like this is the amount of fentanyl not seized, child predators not removed from the communities, and human trafficking victims not rescued because law enforcement redirected resources to recover the defendant,” Wang said.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against a 41-year-old undocumented mother from South Los Angeles, accusing her of orchestrating a fake kidnapping by federal immigration agents to generate sympathy and solicit donations.
Yuriana Julia “Juli” Pelaez Calderon pic.twitter.com/wsh1tmbFxp— Wienerdogwifi (@wienerdogwifi) July 17, 2025
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson also responded, stating:
“The Fake News is so desperate to believe any anti-ICE narrative that they refuse to actually check the facts and instead just echo the lies they’re fed. The truth has come out: this was nothing more than another Fake News Hoax.”
She added, “Any outlet that participated in this hoax should be ashamed and apologize to their viewers for lying to them.”
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