LOS ANGELES, CA – A 41-year-old Mexican national residing illegally within the United States is now facing federal charges and a very real deportation after prosecutors say she faked being “kidnapped” by ICE agents this past June.
On July 17th, the Justice Department issued a press release detailing charges of conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers against Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, alleging the woman crafted a story of “a phony kidnapping” in order to paint ICE agents negatively and garner public support and donations from the public.
Los Angeles-based news outlet KTLA 5 were among the local outlets who lent a proverbial bullhorn to Calderon’s alleged fabricated story, showcasing the phraseology used by attorney Stephano Medina who claimed Calderon was “kidnapped” by agents on June 25th.
In a press conference days after Calderon asserted she was abducted by ICE agents and held captive at a warehouse near the San Ysidro border, Medina said, “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.”
Medina claimed that during these two phone calls made by Calderon, she detailed a dramatic scene of driving down Alameda Street before pulling into a Jack in the Box parking lot after she felt as though she was being followed by two trucks.
“They followed her into the parking lot,” Medina said regarding the alleged incident recounted by Calderon, “They got out of the car, they were armed, and they had masks on, and they took her.” Calderon reportedly claimed she wasn’t transported to any formal processing center after the apprehension but was instead driven to an unknown warehouse after refusing to sign self-deportation paperwork.
Three days after the June 30th press conference, a since-deleted GoFundMe page was established by Calderon’s daughter, Angeline Gonzalez, to seemingly capitalize on the sympathy accrued over Calderon’s story being shared locally, asking the public for $4,5000.
As quickly as the local story of Calderon spread, immigration officials were rightly concerned because there was one glaring issue regarding the matter: Calderon was not in immigration custody, nor any level of federal or local custody for that matter.
This development prompted Homeland Security Investigations to begin searching for Calderon, who was still allegedly pretending to be held in custody, with authorities finding her “in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield,” according to the Justice Department.
Upon initially interacting with the suspect on July 5th, officials say Calderon continued to falsely claim she’d been abducted.
Investigators later learned following her arrest that Calderon had initially planned with her family to craft another hoax built off the original tall tale, this time aiming to gain public support and donations for a sort of “rescue” 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,” the Justice Department stated in their release.
“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 to obtain other benefits.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli hinted that more individuals could be facing charges in light of the discovered sympathy plot allegedly hatched by Calderon, saying in a statement, “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.”
Officials have yet to reveal any additional suspects facing potential charges for their role in the alleged conspiracy.
On July 17th, the Justice Department issued a press release detailing charges of conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers against Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, alleging the woman crafted a story of “a phony kidnapping” in order to paint ICE agents negatively and garner public support and donations from the public.
Los Angeles-based news outlet KTLA 5 were among the local outlets who lent a proverbial bullhorn to Calderon’s alleged fabricated story, showcasing the phraseology used by attorney Stephano Medina who claimed Calderon was “kidnapped” by agents on June 25th.
In a press conference days after Calderon asserted she was abducted by ICE agents and held captive at a warehouse near the San Ysidro border, Medina said, “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.”
Medina claimed that during these two phone calls made by Calderon, she detailed a dramatic scene of driving down Alameda Street before pulling into a Jack in the Box parking lot after she felt as though she was being followed by two trucks.
“They followed her into the parking lot,” Medina said regarding the alleged incident recounted by Calderon, “They got out of the car, they were armed, and they had masks on, and they took her.” Calderon reportedly claimed she wasn’t transported to any formal processing center after the apprehension but was instead driven to an unknown warehouse after refusing to sign self-deportation paperwork.
Three days after the June 30th press conference, a since-deleted GoFundMe page was established by Calderon’s daughter, Angeline Gonzalez, to seemingly capitalize on the sympathy accrued over Calderon’s story being shared locally, asking the public for $4,5000.
As quickly as the local story of Calderon spread, immigration officials were rightly concerned because there was one glaring issue regarding the matter: Calderon was not in immigration custody, nor any level of federal or local custody for that matter.
This development prompted Homeland Security Investigations to begin searching for Calderon, who was still allegedly pretending to be held in custody, with authorities finding her “in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield,” according to the Justice Department.
Upon initially interacting with the suspect on July 5th, officials say Calderon continued to falsely claim she’d been abducted.
Investigators later learned following her arrest that Calderon had initially planned with her family to craft another hoax built off the original tall tale, this time aiming to gain public support and donations for a sort of “rescue” 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,” the Justice Department stated in their release.
“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 to obtain other benefits.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli hinted that more individuals could be facing charges in light of the discovered sympathy plot allegedly hatched by Calderon, saying in a statement, “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.”
Officials have yet to reveal any additional suspects facing potential charges for their role in the alleged conspiracy.
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