A Mexican woman illegally residing in Los Angeles has been charged with fabricating a dramatic ICE “kidnapping” in an apparent attempt to garner public sympathy and raise money through a fraudulent GoFundMe campaign, federal authorities announced Thursday.
Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, is now in federal custody and faces charges of conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). She had reportedly been living in the U.S. under a federal parole status that expired in 2023.
The hoax gained traction after Calderon’s friends, family, and attorneys held a press conference on June 25 claiming she had been abducted by unidentified men in unmarked vehicles—allegedly mistaken for ICE agents—in a Jack in the Box parking lot in Los Angeles.
An affidavit filed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) paints a very different picture. Surveillance footage shows Calderon calmly walking to a silver Nissan sedan and getting into the vehicle without any signs of distress—directly contradicting claims she was forcibly taken. Investigators say the “kidnapping” was staged and that photos released to support the abduction narrative were manipulated to make it appear as though Calderon had been mistreated in custody.
Adding to the deception, Calderon’s daughter reportedly launched a GoFundMe campaign asking for $4,500 in donations, claiming her mother was taken by masked men. GoFundMe later removed the page and refunded the $80 raised, confirming that the family never accessed any of the funds. “GoFundMe has zero tolerance for fraud,” a company spokesperson said, noting full cooperation with law enforcement.
The investigation also revealed that phone calls Calderon allegedly made from “borrowed phones” during her disappearance were actually made from her own device using caller ID masking. When questioned, she and her associates allegedly lied to authorities and actively attempted to mislead investigators.
Authorities tracked Calderon down on July 5 in Bakersfield, California, where she continued to insist she had been kidnapped and detained.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli commended the HSI agents involved and condemned the growing trend of what he called “dangerous rhetoric” targeting federal immigration officers. “Accusations that ICE agents are ‘kidnapping’ immigrants are reckless and deliberately inflammatory,” Essayli said. “They endanger not only our agents but public trust in lawful enforcement.”
HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang echoed that sentiment, warning that hoaxes like Calderon’s waste critical resources. “Every hour spent on this false report was time not spent seizing fentanyl, capturing child predators, or rescuing trafficking victims,” he said.
Calderon faces up to five years in prison on each of the two charges.
The White House weighed in as well, with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson criticizing media outlets that amplified the false narrative. “This was another fake news hoax,” she said. “The media’s obsession with demonizing ICE has once again backfired. Any outlet that pushed this story owes the American public an apology.”
Calderon remains in federal immigration custody pending trial.
