Federal officials have announced that Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderón, a 43-year-old illegal alien from Mexico living in South Los Angeles, has pleaded guilty to staging a fake kidnapping in 2025. She falsely claimed to have been abducted by federal agents or individuals acting on their behalf.
According to the Office of First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California, Calderón devised this plan to incite media outrage and prepare a lawsuit against Border Patrol before going into hiding. During June and July of 2025, Calderón pretended to be apprehended by federal agents or their surrogates, officials stated.
The attorney’s office revealed that Calderón frequently contacted people using anonymous and blocked phone numbers to build her fabricated story. She claimed to have been abducted and detained at different locations, and during her staged release, altered her appearance to suggest mistreatment while in custody.
Photos were staged to depict Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderón as detained and mistreated, according to an affidavit. (US Department of Justice)
Court documents show that on June 25, 2025, she falsely informed someone that immigration officials detained her near a fast-food restaurant, threatening to break her window. Two days later, she reportedly called a tenants’ rights advocate under a blocked ID, falsely stating that authorities took her to San Ysidro and made her sign deportation papers.
On the same day, Calderón claimed to another person that she had been moved to an unknown warehouse with other detainees. Her lies led to false reports to the media and law enforcement. She was said to have been ‘kidnapped’ by masked individuals in an unmarked vehicle impersonating federal agents or their surrogates.
While staying hidden in Bakersfield, her false claims triggered demands from community organizers for her release. Surveillance footage showed her walking to a parked car, as noted in an affidavit.
On July 3, 2025, Calderón once more used caller ID blocking to falsely claim to an individual that her release was imminent due to media coverage. She traveled from Bakersfield to Tulare County to stage her release from ‘Border Patrol,’ seeking someone to serve as a witness in her fabricated case.
Calderón altered her appearance to indicate mistreatment, and a co-conspirator captured photos of her altered state. (Justice Department)
For two days, Calderón deactivated her phones and ignored calls while knowing law enforcement sought her, the attorney’s office reported. She has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to impede, obstruct, impair, and defeat the lawful function of Homeland Security Investigations within federal jurisdiction. Her hearing is set for February 8, 2027.
Calderón faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison if convicted.
Bonny Chu is a Breaking and Trending News Writer for Fox News Digital.