OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:02 PM – Thursday, July 17, 2025
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against an illegal alien from Mexico after she purportedly orchestrated a fake kidnapping by federal agents in an attempt to generate sympathy and financial donations.
41-year-old Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, who is now U.S. immigration custody, is being charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers.
The fabricated “incident” initially garnered media attention after Calderon’s family held a press conference on June 30th, claiming that she had been abducted by ICE “bounty hunters” at gunpoint from a Los Angeles Jack in the Box location.
At the time, the family went on to claim that she was eventually taken to the U.S.-Mexico border and was told to “self deport.”
During the press conference, the family’s lawyer claimed that she had refused to sign self-deportation paperwork and was thus forcefully taken to a “warehouse at an undisclosed location” with other detainees — until she was willing to sign the paperwork.
The family then set up a fundraising page, requesting $4,500, according to the DOJ.
Despite the family’s claim, the federal agents began looking for Calderon after she reportedly never appeared in official records of having been in immigration custody, according to the DOJ.
However, agents later discovered Calderon at a shopping mall in Bakersfield, California.
“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,” stated 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. I thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and all federal agents facing unprecedented levels of assaults for once again providing cool heads and professionalism during these difficult times,” he added.
A Justice Department press release revealed that federal authorities obtained video surveillance footage of Calderon leaving the Jack in the Box parking lot and entering into a nearby sedan, “as well as telephone records demonstrate Calderon fabricated the entire story.”
“Calderon and her family knew that law enforcement was searching for her and feared for her safety, but Calderon and her family did not come forward. Instead, Calderon created what law enforcement believe to be fabricated photos of her ‘rescue,’ made to look as if she was abused while in ICE custody and planned to hold a press conference on July 6 to increase donations to the GoFundMe page and obtain other benefits,” the release added.
“Diverting critical law enforcement resources is not only reckless and irresponsible, but it also endangers the community. Since early July, my office invested valuable time and resources working this alleged kidnapping investigation only to discover that it was a hoax,” stated Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang.
“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. We want to assure the public that allegations of criminal activity will be thoroughly investigated by HSI and our law enforcement partners and that those who engage in fraud and deception will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
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