An Illinois woman who made national headlines claiming she was kidnapped and detained by ICE for 43 hours was actually enjoying room service and spa treatments at a nearby hotel, according to a explosive $1 million defamation lawsuit.
Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi, 28, and her high-profile supporter, Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, are being sued by Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt after investigators debunked their claims of an "unlawful detention."
Naqvi originally alleged that after landing at O’Hare on March 5, 2026, she was spirited away by federal agents and dumped at a jail in Wisconsin without her belongings.
However, Sheriff Schmidt brought the receipts, literally.
During a press conference on Friday, April 17, Schmidt presented a hotel folio showing Naqvi checked into the Hampton Inn and Suites in Rosemont just 90 minutes after landing.
While her family and Commissioner Morrison were decrying her "disappearance" to the media, Naqvi was allegedly texting a witness asking, “May I use your card to pay my spa lady?”
The hoax began to crumble when the Department of Homeland Security released surveillance footage showing Naqvi leaving the airport freely an hour after arrival.
Further investigation revealed text messages where Naqvi discussed hitting the hotel gym and ordering free food while her "best friend’s brother," Morrison, was busy accusing the government of a cover-up on Facebook.
The lawsuit claims the fabricated story caused massive reputational harm to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.
Schmidt is now seeking $1 million in damages from both Naqvi and Morrison, who is currently campaigning for a seat in Congress.
While Wisconsin authorities couldn't find a path for criminal charges, the Sheriff is hoping a jury trial will provide the accountability that a "spa-cation" could not.
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