In another bizarre twist to the ever-shifting story, missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi has now become the target of an FBI investigation into a green card scam.
The investigation comes as her family continues to fight over the GoFundMe riches.
Police and volunteers have been searching for Kobayashi for weeks after she disappeared in Los Angeles.
The story took a shocking turn last week when her father was found dead after traveling to L.A. to help search for his missing daughter.
On Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) revealed that the search was called off after evidence emerged that Hannah Kobayashi had entered Mexico.
The LAPD revealed that the 30-year-old had “knowingly” crossed the border into Mexico on November 12.
Kobayashi was initially reported missing on November 11 after she failed to board her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York.
On Wednesday, sources told Los Angeles Magazine that Kobayashi may have been scammed out of the proceeds of a green card visa scheme by her own ex-boyfriend before her disappearance.
The unnamed ex had accompanied Kobayashi on the flight to Los Angeles along with two others.
The other two were an Argentine man named Alan Cacace and his girlfriend known only as Marianne.
While her ex-boyfriend continued his journey to New York, Kobayashi stayed in Los Angeles.
Documents uncovered by Kobayashi’s mother, Brandi Yee, revealed that Kobayashi had been working with an immigration attorney.
Cacace and Kobayashi had reportedly married in a bogus ceremony to get him a green card.
The arrangement was allegedly set up by her ex-boyfriend, who then scammed her out of the payment for it, LA Mag reported.
A series of text messages seemed to allude to the possible scam.
Kobayashi texted a friend and said: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds.
“From someone I thought I loved.”
In another message, she wrote:
“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f— since Friday.”
A source told LA Mag that Yee attempted to contact the immigration attorney, who “was not cooperative with the mom.”
After news of the potential scam surfaced, the family’s attorney took to X to address the allegations.
“We want to stress that the family has not publicly announced any information regarding an alleged marriage because we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information,” said attorney Sara Azari.
Azari also added that Yee had turned the documentation over to law enforcement “immediately upon receipt.”
On Monday, police revealed that Kobayashi had been spotted on security footage crossing the border into Tijuana.
As a result, the police updated her status to a “voluntarily missing person” and ended the search.
The new development has caused rifts between family members.
Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni, spoke out against her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, for comments made to the press.
They have disagreements over how the proceeds of a fundraiser set up by Sydni should be used.
“It’s really unfortunate when you have to question family,” Sydni told NewsNation.
“The fact that she has gone rogue and wants to disconnect from [our effort], that’s on her.
“I will do whatever I can to protect our family at this point and do whatever I can to still find my sister,” she continued.
“And I no longer want to have any connection with the confusion that I feel like she’s caused since this case started with my sister.”
Azari added that it is important to note that Hannah’s family comprises Sydni, “her mother and her uncle and that side,” and not Pidgeon.
It is unclear what exactly Pidgeon may have said that the other family members disagree with.
But the worried aunt is now hitting back.
She told the New York Post that her niece is “throwing her under the bus” because she wants to be in the limelight.
“They want to be the face,” Pidgeon said of her extended family.
“They want to be the whole thing… It’s really sad.”
She went on to say she agrees that the LAPD’s ruling that Kobayashi “voluntarily” exited the airport and went to Mexico is probably true.
Nevertheless, she said she also plans to travel to Mexico to continue the search for her niece.
READ MORE – Father of Missing Hannah Kobayashi Found Dead After Flying to LA to Help Find Her
