- A California "mom influencer" was found guilty of knowingly making a false report of a crime.
- Kathleen Sorensen accused a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her children.
- "She was looking for content for her fame and her income," victim Sadie Martinez told Good Morning America.
A woman from California convicted in April of falsely accusing a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her children has been sentenced to three months in prison.
Kathleen "Katie" Sorensen, a self-styled "mom influencer," published a video in December 2020 claiming that a couple tried to kidnap her children at a Michaels craft store in Petaluma, California.
Sorensen visited the store with her two young children on December 7, 2020. After making a few purchases, she returned to her car with her children and set off, according to a Sonoma County District Attorney statement.
Minutes later, Sorensen called the Petaluma Police Department and said that a couple had tried to kidnap her children. A week later, she released a viral video on Instagram detailing her account of what had happened, adding "significant additional details" that she had not told the police.
"Monday of this week, my children were the targets of attempted kidnap," Sorensen said in the video, per Good Morning America. "I want to share that story with you to raise awareness of what signs to look for and encourage parents to be more aware of their surroundings."
According to NBC News, Sorensen described in the video how the couple had followed her into the store and commented on her children's appearances. She went on to say that the Latino couple had given her the "heebie-jeebies" and that they "weren't clean-cut individuals." The video was viewed over four million times, Good Morning America reported.
The police then interviewed her about the alleged incident, and Sorensen identified a Petaluma couple as the offenders. But the couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, identified themselves in a photo released by police and came forward to deny Sorensen's claims.
"She wanted a stronger following. She was looking for content for her fame and her income — and at our expense," Sadie Martinez told Good Morning America in 2020.
Authorities dismissed the claims after looking at store security footage and speaking to the couple.
Judge Laura Passaglia sentenced Sorensen to a 90 days in prison, two months of which could be served on work release. The judge also told Sorensen to avoid any presence on social media for 12 months, during which time she would also have to agree to have her electronic devices searched and seized without a warrant and undergo four hours of implicit bias training. according to a statement from the local district attorney's office.
"Ms. Sorensen has been held accountable for her crime," District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said. "Our hope is that this measure of accountability will help provide some closure to the couple that was falsely accused of having attempted to kidnap two young children."
Charles Dresow, Sorensen's attorney, told Good Morning America that Sorensen had "misperceived and misunderstood a series of random events which were occurring around her and made an honest report to the police."
"I don't think she had any understanding of how this would spread and the impact it would cause," he added.