California illegal immigrant Yuriana Calderon faked ICE ‘kidnapping’ for fundraiser scam and to ‘smear’ federal agents: DOJ
An undocumented immigrant and mother, Yuriana Julia “Juli” Pelaez Calderon, was recently arrested for orchestrating a fake “kidnapping” in an attempt to scam people and discredit federal law enforcement. The elaborate scheme involved bounty hunters taking Calderon at gunpoint and trying to force her to self-deport at a fast-food restaurant.
Charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers, Calderon’s hoax began when her family and attorneys held a press conference claiming that armed men ambushed her in a parking lot in downtown Los Angeles. The family alleged that Calderon was taken to San Ysidro, presented with voluntary self-deportation paperwork by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff, and then held in a warehouse when she refused to sign the documents.
Following media attention, Calderon’s daughter created a GoFundMe page seeking donations to support her mother’s release. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched an investigation into the alleged kidnapping, eventually locating Calderon in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield. Surveillance footage and telephone records revealed that Calderon’s story was a hoax, debunking her claims of being kidnapped and held against her will.
Calderon’s family had planned to hold another press conference to solicit more donations for the GoFundMe campaign and had even created fabricated photos of her “rescue” to further deceive the public. The DHS condemned the hoax, emphasizing that Calderon had scammed innocent Americans for money and wasted resources that could have been used to remove dangerous individuals from Los Angeles communities.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for GoFundMe stated that they have a zero-tolerance policy for misuse of their platform and refunded the $80 raised for Calderon’s campaign. Calderon now faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each charge, with the possibility of additional individuals involved also facing charges.
The DHS criticized politicians and activist media for perpetuating false narratives that demonize law enforcement and evade accountability. They emphasized the importance of holding Calderon accountable for her actions and urged the public to be cautious of similar scams in the future.
