Federal prosecutors have charged 41-year-old Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon from South Los Angeles with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers.
The charges stem from an alleged plan to fabricate her abduction by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in downtown Los Angeles last month.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the charges, emphasizing the dangers of rhetoric surrounding ICE agents.
He stated that claims of ICE agents ‘kidnapping’ immigrants are recklessly being propagated by politicians and echoed in the media, which undermines the credibility of federal agents.
On June 25, the incident drew public attention when family members, friends, and activists gathered outside a Jack in the Box restaurant to protest what they thought was Calderon’s kidnapping.
Calderon’s attorney claimed that she had pulled into the fast-food restaurant’s parking lot to evade two trucks that had been following her.
The lawyer alleged that armed men sprang out of the trucks and took Calderon into custody without identifying themselves.
According to the attorney, Calderon recounted that she was taken to a parking lot near the San Ysidro border crossing.
During her alleged detention, she claimed that ICE agents pressured her to sign self-deportation paperwork and ignored her requests to see a judge or an attorney.
The lawyer also indicated that Calderon was taken to a warehouse in an undisclosed location, where she was allegedly deprived of basic necessities.
While efforts to reach her attorney for additional comments were unsuccessful, the gathering outside the restaurant attracted numerous immigrant rights groups, including the Immigrant Defenders Law Center and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
These organizations actively supported Calderon and attempted to locate her in ICE’s detainee locator system, contacting multiple branches of the Department of Homeland Security.
Despite these efforts, no evidence of Calderon’s detention could be found during their search.
In the wake of the alleged kidnapping, Calderon’s daughter initiated a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds, explaining that the family could not locate their mother after she had been taken away by masked men in an unmarked vehicle on her way to work.
The fundraiser aimed for $4,500 but only raised $80 by Thursday.
However, federal authorities scrutinizing the situation found that Calderon’s claims were fabricated.
Homeland Security Investigations agents initiated a search over the Fourth of July holiday and ultimately located her in a parking lot of a shopping plaza in Bakersfield.
At this point, Calderon continued to assert that she had been taken by masked individuals and held against her will, as outlined in the affidavit filed by federal authorities in support of the criminal complaint.
Investigators traced Calderon’s movements using cellphone records and surveillance footage, which showed her leaving the Jack in the Box parking lot in a nearby sedan.
Furthermore, law enforcement suspects that she created false images of her ‘rescue,’ intending to mislead others into believing she had been mistreated while in ICE custody.
A spokesperson for GoFundMe stated that the platform maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any misuse and collaborates with law enforcement regarding potential wrongdoing.
As a result, the fundraiser was removed, and the $80 raised was returned, with the organizer not having access to any funds.
This incident takes place against the backdrop of ongoing crackdowns by the White House, which have led to the apprehension of hundreds of immigrants and fueled anxiety throughout the region.
Local, state, and federal officials have called for immigration agents to identify themselves amidst rising concerns about impersonators.
In related news, a man in Huntington Park was arrested for allegedly impersonating an ICE officer, adding to public fear regarding the potential for misuse of identity by federal agents.
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger expressed worry about ‘bad players’ taking advantage of the anonymity associated with ICE agents.
Over the past weeks, some have called 911 reporting kidnappings that turned out to be ICE operations.
Law enforcement leaders, including LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, have pledged to investigate such reports to ensure no foul play occurs while also affirming that they would not interfere with federal operations.
image source from：latimes
