Illegal immigrant mom in LA staged fake ICE ‘kidnapping’ to scam people out of donations—Karen Bass fell for hoax

According to a DOJ press release on the case, Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, who has been living in South Los Angeles, has been charged with conspiracy as well as making false statements to federal officers. If convicted of the charges, she can face up to five years in prison.

The charges come after local outlet in California, KTLA, ran a report in June with the headline "LA mother says she was taken to US border, being held until she self-deports," in which the outlet reported that "loved ones and attorneys" said that a "mother and community leader" was "kidnapped" by ICE "bounty hunters" and was being held at a warehouse.

LA Mayor Karen Bass on July 1 touted Calderon's tall tale of being “kidnapped” in a post to X. “She’s a mother from L.A. — taken out of her car on her way to work, and then held in a warehouse as officers hoped she would “self-deport.” No hearing. Just fear. This doesn't make anyone safer,” Bass wrote, citing KTLA’s report.

A press conference and protest were held at the time the claims were made, and images of the gathering were spread across different news outlets.

At the time, DHS responded to the story, saying that it was "clearly fabricated." Fox News reported that the criminal complaint against Calderon said that she and others "planned a hoax kidnapping" to benefit themselves, "including their own pecuniary gain." A GoFundMe page was set up by Calderon's daughter, who managed to raise $4,500 and claimed that her mother was "taken by masked men in an unmarked vehicle."

After the daughter filed a missing person report, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) determined that Calderon was not in ICE custody and launched its own investigation into the matter, only to find out that "kidnapping" did not add up.

The affidavit added, "when confronted with true information that contradicted their kidnapping story," Calderon and others "attempted to thwart law enforcement efforts" to find out where she was.

HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang slammed the scheme, saying, "My office invested valuable time and resources working this alleged kidnapping investigation only to discover that it was a hoax."

"Diverting critical law enforcement resources is not only reckless and irresponsible, but it also endangers the community," Wang added. "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 redirected 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."