Calderón Pleads Guilty in 2025 Fake Kidnapping Plot, Facing Up to 5 Years

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 26

Federal prosecutors said Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderón, 43, admitted staging a 2025 kidnapping hoax that falsely blamed Border Patrol agents or their surrogates for abducting her.
Officials said she fabricated the disappearance to spark media outrage and support a lawsuit against Border Patrol, using blocked calls, false detention claims and staged photos of apparent mistreatment.
Bakersfield and Tulare County figured in the scheme after Calderón hid while organizers demanded her release, then traveled to stage a release scene and sought a witness for her case.
One conspiracy count accuses her of obstructing Homeland Security Investigations; she is due back in court on Feb. 8, 2027, and faces a maximum five-year federal sentence.