Federal authorities in California arrested an illegal alien from Mexico after she allegedly faked a kidnapping by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or “bounty hunters” working for ICE. Prosecutors allege the woman carried out the scam to raise money on social media and discredit ICE and other federal law enforcement agents.
In June, media outlets ran with a story about a “South Los Angeles mother of three” who claimed to have been kidnapped by “possible federal agents” and taken to the Mexican border. Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon claimed to have been held by these agents and abused until she agreed to self-deport. The allegation came after weeks of riots and attacks on federal law enforcement officers attempting to arrest criminal aliens in the Los Angeles area.
Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, of South Los Angeles, is charged with staging a hoax kidnapping that was used to falsely blame U.S. immigration officials in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/ZkqJEyYLUU
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) July 17, 2025
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Federal prosecutors allege these claims are false and were designed to fraudulently raise money and sew fear in the community.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California offered the following timeline of events:
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint filed Wednesday, an attorney representing Calderon’s family held a press conference on June 30 to announce that Calderon had reportedly been kidnapped five days earlier at a Jack in the Box restaurant parking lot in downtown Los Angeles and brought to San Ysidro, where “she was presented to [a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] staffer” and “presented with voluntary self-deportation paperwork.” The attorney then said Calderon refused to sign the paperwork and demanded to speak to a judge and a lawyer. In response, “she was punished” and was sent to a warehouse in an undisclosed location.
The press conference garnered media attention and stoked fear in the community. Meanwhile, Calderon’s daughter set up a GoFundMe page, requesting $4,500 and stating that Calderon “was taken by masked men in an unmarked vehicle…when she was on her way to work.” According to the complaint, this entire story was fabricated.
On July 3, when Calderon was still purportedly missing, federal agents grew concerned after confirming that Calderon was not in immigration custody. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began searching for Calderon over the holiday weekend.
On July 5, HSI agents tracked Calderon down in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield. Calderon continued to falsely claim she was taken by masked men and held in custody with others.
Video surveillance showed Calderon leaving the Jack in the Box parking lot and getting into a sedan. Prosecutors say telephone records confirm her entire story was fabricated. {snip}
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The post FEDS: ‘LA Mom of 3’ Illegal Alien Faked Kidnapping by ICE ‘Bounty Hunters’ Story to Raise Money appeared first on American Renaissance.
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