Updated on: June 19, 2026 / 7:07 AM EDT
/ CBS/AFP
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A Mexican mayor allegedly faked her own kidnapping to embezzle $2 million worth of government funds disguised as ransom, local authorities said Thursday.Nancy Napoles, the municipal president of Tenancingo, several hours outside Mexico City, has proclaimed her innocence in a video posted to social media, calling the accusations "politicized."Napoles belongs to the ruling Morena party of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has made combating corruption one of the pillars of her administration.Prosecutors said they requested Napoles give testimony on July 9 for the "simulation of a kidnapping." There are no arrest warrants against her, unlike her husband and brother-in-law, who are on the run.Armed men forced Napoles out of her car at gunpoint, according to the prosecutor's office, basing the case on the testimony of three now-arrested "kidnappers."
Nancy Napoles
