Shana Gaviola, 39, of Fresno, was sentenced on April 27 to three years in prison for the interstate violation of a protection order after her estranged teenage son was taken against his will from California to Missouri, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
The sentencing follows a federal jury's guilty verdict on Dec. 9, 2025, after a five-day trial. The case highlights the enforcement of protection orders and the consequences when they are violated across state lines.
Court documents and testimony showed that in 2020 Gaviola’s then-16-year-old son began living with another family and obtained both emancipation and a domestic violence protection order against her from Fresno County Superior Court. The order prohibited any form of contact or harassment by Gaviola toward her son. Despite this restriction, Gaviola arranged for individuals to forcibly transport her son from an ice-skating rink in Fresno on Aug. 21, 2021. He was handcuffed and driven over several states before being held at a youth facility until his father secured his release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation with support from local police departments and assistance from U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Missouri. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Veronica M.A. Alegría and Heiko P. Coppola prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California promotes community wellness by addressing justice issues across its diverse region according to the official website. The office operates under the Department of Justice and enforces federal laws through prosecutions of criminal violations as well as management of civil lawsuits on behalf of the government according to its official website. It maintains offices in Sacramento, Fresno, and Bakersfield while covering more than 87,000 square miles across 34 counties as reported by its official website.
The jurisdiction extends from Oregon’s border southward to Bakersfield and eastward toward Nevada according to information provided by the office. The office represents the federal government in all litigation within this district as outlined on its official site.
