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.
KTLA LA5 reported that Attorney Stephano Medina told reporters during a June 30 press conference, “In this very parking lot a week ago, uniformed men in unmarked cars kidnapped Juli, and with her courage and her strength — even though we don’t know where Juli is and we don’t know when we will find her — Juli has managed to make two phone calls to the family since she’s been kidnapped,” said Medina. “And so I want to share with you some of the details that Juli has shared with us.”
The attorney continued, according to KTLA:
“They followed her into the parking lot. They got out of the car, they were armed, and they had masks on, and they took her.” Medina, claiming that the men did not identify themselves, pointed out that this incident occurred at night, which he said is unusual for ICE operations. According to Medina, Juli believes the men were bounty hunters.
“Juli told us that when she was picked up in this parking lot, she wasn’t taken to any Detention Center. She wasn’t taken to be processed,” said Medina. “Instead, Juli was taken directly from this parking lot to the border at San Ysidro, and there she was presented to an ICE staffer. There, Juli was presented with voluntary self deportation paperwork. She was taken straight from here to the border and pressured to sign self deportation paperwork.”
Calderon allegedly refused to sign the papers and claimed she was taken to a warehouse at an undisclosed location where “she was punished,” the attorney stated.
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. “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,” the criminal complaint revealed. “Instead, Calderon created what law enforcement believes 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 to obtain other benefits.”
“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,” said HSI 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.”
Calderon is charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers. If convicted on all charges, the woman faces up to five years in federal prison on each charge.
With her status as an illegal alien from Mexico, she will likely be deported after these cases are resolved.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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