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South LA Woman Pleads Guilty to Fake, Staged ICE Kidnapping
Prosecutors say the fabricated abduction helped fuel donations and media attention, and Calderon could face up to five years in prison.
- On Monday, Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 43, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to conspiracy to obstruct Homeland Security Investigations, admitting she orchestrated a fake kidnapping hoax by federal agents.
- In June 2025, Calderon claimed masked men kidnapped her outside a Jack in the Box restaurant and sought $4,500 via GoFundMe, while the Department of Homeland Security stated the hoax aimed to malign immigration enforcement efforts.
- Federal agents tracked Calderon to a Bakersfield shopping plaza parking lot after growing concerned she was not in immigration custody, with video surveillance and phone records bolstering suspicions she created fabricated photos to simulate abuse.
- Calderon faces up to five years in federal prison at sentencing scheduled for February 8, 2027, while co-conspirator Yvette Estrada also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing on November 30.
- Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang said the hoax "diverted critical law enforcement resources" from combating drug trafficking and human trafficking, while First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called it a "well-orchestrated conspiracy.
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16 Articles
Woman admits to faking ICE 'kidnapping' to make agency look bad
An illegal immigrant has pleaded guilty to faking an ICE kidnapping last year, admitting that she told people she was grabbed by masked men, then disappeared for days before staging her own "release" -- all to try to taint the immigration agency at the height of the Los Angeles enforcement surge.
·Washington, United States
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Yuriana Julia Peláez Calderon accepted that she faked her kidnapping by ICE agents in June 2025; the woman faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison
·Los Angeles, United States
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Internewscast Internewscast A Mexican national living illegally in Los Angeles has pleaded guilty in… This Post: Los Angeles Woman Pleads Guilty to Staging Fake ICE Kidnapping Hoax first appeared on Internewscast
Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left4Leaning Right4Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution38% Center
Bias Distribution
- 38% of the sources are Center
38% Center
L 31%
C 38%
R 31%
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