Social Media Influencer Katie Sorensen Convicted After Faking Kidnapping

A Californian "mom influencer" has officially been convicted of faking her kids' kidnapping in 2020, which went viral online.

Katie Sorensen, 31, was charged with and convicted of making three false reports of a crime after receiving a guilty verdict, according to People. Her bail is set at $100,000.

She could now face up to six months in jail for the crime.

The social media influencer apparently falsely accused a Latino couple of attempting to kidnap her kids at a Michael's craft store in Petaluma, Calif., in December 2020.

READ MORE: Woman Pleads Guilty to Best Friend's Murder After Online Catfish Scheme

According to reports, Sorensen then detailed the kidnapping allegations via her Instagram account, @motherhoodessentials, in since-deleted videos that gained over 4 million views.

Notably, she was also known for posting conspiracy theories to her account, per Yahoo! Finance.

Sorensen alleged in the posts that a man and a woman followed her and made comments while she was shopping in Michael's with her children before approaching them in the parking lot.

She even went so far as to tell a local news outlet that the alleged couple "didn't look necessarily clean-cut."

Sorensen was subsequently interviewed by police and even identified the alleged couple from surveillance footage. The couple in question denied the allegations.

During a press conference, the couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, spoke out about the situation.

"It's like we're literally guilty of being Brown while shopping," Sadie Martinez shared.

Sorensen's viral videos allegedly contained differing information from the actual police report, which police declined to reveal.

"The jury reviewed the actual evidence and found it to be very different than how the case has been portrayed outside the courtroom. We are disappointed as to count three and will evaluate our options moving forward," Sorensen's attorney, Charles Dresow, told The Press Democrat.

Yahoo! Finance also reported that District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said of the case, "This verdict will enable us to hold Ms. Sorensen accountable for her crime, while at the same time helping to exonerate the couple that was falsely accused of having attempted to kidnap two young children. The case is also important in that it illustrates the importance of using social media responsibly."