Woman to Plead Guilty in Fake ICE Kidnapping Hoax

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A South Los Angeles woman is expected to plead guilty Monday in Los Angeles federal court to a conspiracy charge over a staged kidnapping that prosecutors say was falsely blamed on immigration agents.

Source: MyNewsLA

Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 42, is expected to enter a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy. If the plea is accepted, she could face up to five years in federal prison at sentencing, prosecutors said.

The Story She Told

In June 2025, Calderon's attorney said masked men took her at a downtown Los Angeles Jack in the Box parking lot. Her attorney claimed she was taken to San Ysidro and presented with voluntary self-deportation paperwork, then punished and held in a warehouse after she refused to sign and demanded a judge and a lawyer.

Her daughter created a GoFundMe page seeking $4,500.

What Prosecutors Say Happened

Prosecutors say the entire story was false, designed to gain sympathy and donations. Surveillance footage showed Calderon leaving the Jack in the Box lot and getting into a sedan, and phone records bolstered investigators' suspicions.

Federal agents found her on July 5, 2025, in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield. Prosecutors say she and her family did not come forward even though they knew agents were searching for her.

"The conduct alleged in (the) complaint shows this hoax 'kidnapping' was a well-orchestrated conspiracy," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California said in a statement at the time.

A co-defendant, Yvette Estrada, already pleaded guilty to a federal charge and is expected to be sentenced November 30.

Sources: MyNewsLA, October 26, 2026; U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.