An illegal immigrant and mother was arrested for staging a fake “kidnapping” — where bounty hunters took her at gunpoint and tried forcing her to self-deport at a fast-food restaurant — to scam people and “smear federal law enforcement.”

Yuriana Julia “Juli” Pelaez Calderon, 41, was charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers over the elaborate scheme on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice.

“Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are ‘kidnapping’ illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents,” US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.

“The conduct alleged in today’s complaint shows this hoax kidnapping was a well-orchestrated conspiracy.”

The hoax kicked off when Calderon’s family and attorneys held a press conference on June 30, saying armed men ambushed her in two unmarked trucks at a Jack in the Box restaurant parking lot in downtown Los Angeles.

Her family claimed that the men brought Calderon to San Ysidro, where “she was presented to [a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] staffer” and “presented with voluntary self-deportation paperwork,” according to officials.

The family’s attorney claimed that Calderon refused to sign the paperwork and demanded to speak with a judge and a lawyer, but instead was “punished” and held in a warehouse.

Following the media attention, Calderon’s daughter created a GoFundMe page and...

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