Border Fraud: Plea Deal Ends Fake Kidnapping Scheme

Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 43, pleaded guilty on Monday to a federal conspiracy charge for staging a false kidnapping in 2025.

The defendant, who resides in South Los Angeles, claimed she was taken by federal agents or their surrogates to generate media attention and build a legal case against U.S. Border Patrol.

Federal prosecutors in the Central District of California said Calderon used anonymous and blocked phone calls in June and July 2025 to spread the fraudulent narrative.

On June 25, 2025, she told an individual that immigration officials were detaining her near a fast-food restaurant and threatening to break her window. Two days later, she contacted a tenants' rights advocate, claiming agents had taken her to San Ysidro and forced her to sign deportation papers.

Calderon also told another contact that she was being held in an unknown warehouse with other detainees. Officials noted that these intentional lies led media and law enforcement to report that masked men in an unmarked vehicle had kidnapped her.

While hiding in Bakersfield, community organizers demanded her release based on the false claims. On July 3, 2025, Calderon called a contact to say she would be released soon due to media coverage.

She then traveled to Tulare County to stage her release from Border Patrol and recruited a witness for her case. A co-conspirator photographed her altered appearance to make it look as if she had been mistreated in custody.

For two days following the staged release, Calderon turned off her phones and ignored calls from law enforcement. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to impede the lawful function of Homeland Security Investigations.

The case is set for a sentencing hearing on Feb. 8, 2027. Calderon faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.