An undocumented immigrant who lives in South Los Angeles pleaded not guilty on Friday, Sept. 5, to federal charges alleging she invented a story that she was kidnapped at gunpoint by masked immigration officers or bounty hunters and held hostage in a warehouse.
Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, is charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Her trial is set for Oct. 21.
An attorney representing Calderon’s family held a press conference on June 30 to announce the woman had been kidnapped five days earlier at a Jack in the Box 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 handed voluntary self-deportation paperwork.
The attorney said Calderon had refused to sign the paperwork and demanded to speak to a judge and a lawyer. In response, the lawyer said, “she was punished” by federal agents and sent to a warehouse in an undisclosed location where she was abused.
Prosecutors said 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 U.S. Attorney’s Office, the entire story was false and designed to generate sympathy and solicit donations.
In July, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the story was created to malign the administration’s immigration-enforcement efforts.
“Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon was never arrested or kidnapped by ICE or bounty hunters — this criminal illegal alien scammed innocent Americans for money and diverted limited DHS resources from removing the worst of the worst from Los Angeles communities,” DHS said.
“Politicians and activist media peddled these smears that were designed to demonize law enforcement and evade accountability,” the statement said. “Calderon will now face justice and the media and politicians who swallowed and pushed this garbage should be embarrassed.”
Attorneys for Calderon’s family who discussed the case at the press conference did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On July 3, when Calderon was still purportedly missing, federal agents “grew concerned” after confirming that Calderon was not in immigration custody, federal prosecutors said, and Homeland Security Investigations personnel began searching for Calderon.
On July 5, agents tracked Calderon down in a shopping-plaza parking lot in Bakersfield. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Mexican national and self-described activist continued to falsely claim she was taken by masked men and held in custody with others.
Prosecutors said video surveillance — including images of Calderon leaving the Jack in the Box parking lot and getting into a nearby sedan — as well as telephone records, bolster suspicions that Calderon fabricated the entire 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,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Instead, Calderon created what law enforcement alleges were fabricated photos of her “rescue,” made to look as if she was abused while in federal immigration custody and planned to hold a press conference on July 6 to increase donations to the GoFundMe page, prosecutors said.
If convicted of both charges, Calderon would face up to 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.
Related Articles
Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home survives with judge’s latest ruling Security guard acquitted of murdering homeless man at Stanton apartment complex OC nonprofit founder central to Andrew Do bribery scandal sues former supervisor for $50 million What you need to know about the Amro Shahin trial for the alleged murder of Brandon Cook in Stanton Haros plead not guilty to murdering their missing baby, EmmanuelHence then, the article about la woman charged for falsely saying immigration officers or bounty hunters kidnapped her was published today ( ) and is available on The Orange County Register ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( LA woman charged for falsely saying immigration officers or bounty hunters kidnapped her )
Also on site :
- Tornado warning issued, and quickly cancelled, over Alhambra
- Governor Hochul: Annual statewide donation drive is complete
- Skier dies in collision with tree at Colorado’s Aspen Mountain, resort officials confirm