⏱ 2 min read
Fresno, California – In a brazen attempt to reunite with her estranged teenage son, a local mother devised an elaborate scheme to abduct him from his new home. On August 21, 2021, masked individuals, acting on behalf of 39-year-old Shana Gaviola, ambushed the 16-year-old at an ice-skating rink in Fresno, handcuffed him, and forced him into a car. The boy was then held at a youth facility in Missouri for more than 24 hours before his father was able to secure his release.
The abduction was a blatant disregard for a domestic violence protection order obtained by the teenager in 2020, prohibiting Gaviola from contacting him directly or indirectly. A federal jury delivered a guilty verdict against Gaviola on December 9, 2025, following a five-day trial.
Shana Gaviola’s actions drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which conducted the investigation with assistance from the Fresno Police Department and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Veronica M.A. Alegría and Heiko P. Coppola prosecuted the case.
On April 25, 2024, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Gaviola to three years in prison for violating the interstate protection order. The sentence brings an end to a harrowing ordeal for the teenager, who was subjected to the trauma of abduction and detention by his own mother.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: California
- Location: CA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
