Faye Hsin-I Ku, 42, of Lakewood, California, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison today for kidnapping her two children and fleeing with them to Mexico to block their father’s court-sanctioned parental rights. The grim chapter ended in Los Angeles federal court, where U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt handed down the sentence in a case that spanned six harrowing months and two countries.
Ku pleaded guilty in September to two counts of international parental kidnapping. She admitted that on August 29, 2015, she took her 15-year-old and 9-year-old children across the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry with the clear intent to obstruct the father’s lawful parental rights. Her actions triggered a high-stakes manhunt led by the FBI and Mexican authorities, who worked in tandem to track the family through Sinaloa—one of Mexico’s most dangerous regions.
The FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico City followed critical leads and collaborated with Mexican officials, who swiftly intervened to secure the children. They were safely reunited with their father on February 12, 2016—six months after their disappearance. Meanwhile, Mexican officers escorted Ku to Los Angeles International Airport, where she was taken into federal custody upon arrival.
“This defendant sought to deprive her children’s father of his court-sanctioned parental rights by fleeing the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “She abducted her children, abused their emotional attachment to her, brought them to a dangerous part of Mexico and had a destructive impact on the entire family.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jay S. Tabb Jr. of the Seattle Division praised the multinational effort that led to the children’s rescue. “Bringing the children home safely was only possible due to extraordinary partnerships with law enforcement agencies across multiple states and in Mexico,” Tabb said. “Today’s sentencing reaffirms that parental kidnapping will not be tolerated.”
Ku will serve one year of supervised release following her prison term. The investigation was led by the FBI’s Seattle Division, with critical support from the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico City, Mexico’s National Institute of Migration, the FBI’s Los Angeles Division, the Bellevue Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Paetty prosecuted the case, coordinating with federal and local prosecutors in Washington and King County.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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