LOS ANGELES – A brazen attempt to exploit public sympathy and line pockets with fraudulent donations has landed a 41-year-old Mexican national in federal custody. Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, of South Los Angeles, is facing federal charges after allegedly staging a fake kidnapping and falsely blaming federal agents, according to the Department of Justice. The scheme, designed to generate donations via a GoFundMe campaign, has ignited fury from federal prosecutors.
Calderon is charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers. The complaint details a meticulously crafted narrative spun at a June 30th press conference, where an attorney representing Calderon’s family claimed she’d been abducted from a Jack in the Box parking lot in downtown Los Angeles five days prior. The attorney alleged Calderon was transported to San Ysidro, presented with voluntary self-deportation paperwork, and then “punished” by being held in an undisclosed warehouse after refusing to sign. This story quickly gained traction, fueling fear and outrage within the community.
Simultaneously, Calderon’s daughter launched a GoFundMe page, desperately requesting $4,500, claiming her mother was snatched by masked men in an unmarked vehicle while en route to work. Federal agents, however, quickly grew suspicious. By July 3rd, with Calderon still “missing,” a search was launched by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), revealing the entire story to be a fabrication. Agents located Calderon in a Bakersfield shopping plaza parking lot on July 5th, where she continued to perpetuate the false claims of abduction and captivity.
Evidence quickly unraveled the scheme. Video surveillance, including footage of Calderon calmly leaving the Jack in the Box and entering a sedan, contradicted her story. Telephone records further exposed the lie. Authorities allege that Calderon and her family were aware of the search and feared exposure, yet pressed forward with the hoax, even preparing fabricated photos of alleged abuse in ICE custody and planning another press conference to maximize GoFundMe donations. The intent, prosecutors say, was clear: financial gain and the intentional discrediting of federal law enforcement.
“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,” thundered United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The conduct alleged in today’s complaint shows this hoax ‘kidnapping’ was a well-orchestrated conspiracy. The defendant and all those involved will face the full consequences of their conduct under federal law.”
HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the dangerous diversion of resources. “Since early July, my office invested valuable time and resources working this alleged kidnapping investigation only to discover that it was a hoax,” Wang stated. “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 re-directed resources to recover the defendant.” Calderon’s initial appearance in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles is expected in the coming weeks.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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