A Wisconsin sheriff is suing an Illinois woman for defamation, claiming she spent the weekend at a hotel and enjoyed spa services while fabricating a story about a 40-hour ICE detention that landed her at the Dodge County Jail.
Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt presented evidence disputing Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi’s claims during a press conference on Friday. The sheriff also blasted media outlets for running with the story without verifying the information.
Schmidt called out a “coordinated messaging designed to generate outrage and media attention,” including a March 8 news conference that quickly amplified the accusations and prompted outrage directed at his office.
She claimed she was detained by ICE for nearly 48 hours. But new evidence shows she was enjoying a spa getaway.
Investigators point to grocery store surveillance footage and hotel digital records that contradict Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi’s claim about being held by the government. pic.twitter.com/ZoFsbGInSB
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 16, 2026
In early March, Naqvi and family representatives alleged she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 40 hours and later transferred to Schmidt’s jail.
Schmidt alleges Naqvi, 28, of Skokie, Illinois, fabricated the story, and investigators gathered hotel records, surveillance video and WhatsApp messages to prove it.
On Friday, April 10, Schmidt laid out evidence to counter Naqvi’s accusations, adding, “it is important that we correct the facts.”
He filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court against her and Cook County, Ill., Commissioner Kevin Morrison, along with 10 “John Does,” The New York Post reported.
“There is no record of booking, detention or release,” the sheriff’s office says — now suing and also calling out local officials who amplified the claims and accused them of a “cover-up." pic.twitter.com/ebcft27Nca
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 16, 2026
“They gained significant attention, but they have not been supported by any — any — verified evidence at all,” Schmidt said.
Naqvi, a U.S. citizen, and her family members claimed that she and her co-workers were detained by federal immigration authorities at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago after returning from a work trip abroad.
From there, they alleged the group was transferred to an Illinois ICE detention center and later transported across state lines to Wisconsin.
Naqvi told family members she was released from custody in the early hours of March 7, then hitchhiked nine miles to a hotel, where she was met by family.
Schmidt reviewed records from multiple agencies and maintains the claims “did not occur.” In fact, based on various records, Naqvi spent the weekend at a hotel and texted about spa services, Fox News Digital reported.
Naqvi was briefly detained for about an hour on March 5 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. She was released around 11:42 a.m., and federal authorities say she was not detained or transferred after leaving the airport.
Schmidt said that there “is no record of booking, there is no record of detention, there is no record of release, no contact with the individual, no transfer to any federal agency.”
The sheriff also criticized media outlets for running with Naqvi’s story and presenting it as factual, emphasizing the biased, false narratives hurt the reputation of law enforcement.
Naqvi’s story gathered momentum after multiple local media outlets reported on her “wrongful” detention in early March, including the Wisconsin Examiner, WGN 9 News and CBS News.
Her family members and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison — who’s also a family friend of Naqvi — even held a press conference outside the Broadview facility on Sunday, March 8. Morrison said that “it is our belief” that six people were transported from Broadview to Wisconsin and held at Dodge County Jail.
“Detained with no cause. All she was told was that there was curious travel history,” Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison was quoted in a WGN 9 News article. “The fact that this could happen to any U.S. citizen should terrify us all.”
Schmidt showed hate mail the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office received after the Naqvi allegations surfaced, the Wisconsin Examiner reported in a follow-up on the lawsuit.
“Media coverage has impacts,” Schmidt said during the press conference. “What you publish has impacts on more than just those readers and viewers. It has impacts on real human beings.”
Being in the business of police work, investigators pieced together a verified timeline that directly contradicts the allegations.
A guest folio from Hampton Inn & Suites in Rosemont, Illinois, shows Naqvi booked a room under her name for the dates of March 5-8.
She checked in at 1:17 p.m. after leaving the airport, and the hotel folio documents multiple charges during the period claimed she was in custody. Hotel video obtained by investigators also shows the woman inside lobby after her alleged ICE detention.
Text messages published on Fox News Digital show her talking with the person who paid for the room: “Just super happy I can keep paying for you to be comfortable.”
“In the room now,” she replies at 1:52 p.m. March 5. The Wisconsin Examiner reported she bilked the unnamed witness out of $25,000, maxing out his credit card, and he paid for Naqvi’s trip to Turkey, which wasn’t for work.
Surveillance footage shows Naqvi inside a Slinger, Wisconsin, gas station on March 7, contradicting claims she was in ICE custody, Fox News Digital reported. And authorities say Naqvi’s outing to the Badger state was voluntary.
Her family posted a “reunited” picture to Facebook with Naqvi brazenly wearing the same clothes from gas station surveillance footage. Kevin Morrison for Congress also posted images of the reunion.
Investigators also cited WhatsApp messages from that timeframe, which show Naqvi actively communicating from the hotel, discussing food, work and daily activities—even enjoying some spa time.
“Now, I don’t know about you, and my staff have never reported one — there is no spa at Broadview in Chicago, Illinois,” Schmidt said. “I can also tell you there is no spa lady in our jail here in Dodge County.”
Early on, as Naqvi’s story made the news, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security even supplied surveillance photos to refute the story, posting on social media:
“HERE ARE THE RECEIPTS: As we said Sunny Naqvi entered the CBP area at 10:21 am. Surveillance footage from O’Hare CLEARLY shows her entering secondary inspection at 10:46 a.m., and leaving secondary to the public area at 11:42 a.m. Her claims of spending 43 hours in DHS custody are FALSE.”
HERE ARE THE RECEIPTS:
As we said Sunny Naqvi entered the CBP area at 10:21 am.
Surveillance footage from O’Hare CLEARLY shows her entering secondary inspection at 10:46 a.m., and leaving secondary to the public area at 11:42 a.m.
Her claims of spending 43 hours in DHS custody… https://t.co/GkqWBLS6sn pic.twitter.com/SWOJmMulcy
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 11, 2026
Online commentators compared the hoax to Jussie Smollett’s hate crime hoax and conviction, which was later overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court. The actor, who is Black and gay, fabricated a story in 2019 that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.
Naqvi and her coworkers are all of Pakistani descent and were supposed to travel to India for a work trip with a layover in Turkey, WGN9 reported. The itinerary changed after visa issues came up while they were in Turkey, so they split up but reunited in Turkey before flying back to Chicago.
WGN initially reported Naqvi was held at the lower level of Terminal 3 at O’Hare for nearly 30 hours along with five of her colleagues. From there, she was reportedly taken to the Broadview Detention Facility—the site of frequent anti-ICE protests.
Her family members then claimed she was transferred across state lines to the Dodge County Jail and later released without aid or transportation in the pre-dawn hours.
Schmidt hinted at some political motivation, noting that Morrison was a candidate in the Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat at the time. He called the press conference the Naqvi allegations in the leadup to the election, which he lost, the Washington Examiner reported.
The complaint further alleges Morrison accused the sheriff’s office of a “cover-up” and said officials “have been lying from the very start of this,” Fox News Digital reported.
Schmidt said the timeline shows Naqvi’s story was “not physically possible” based on the evidence gathered during the investigation.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has faced backlash, including receiving hostile messages and other threats. His employees have been called liars, which prompted the sheriff to prove the claims were made up and file the lawsuit.
“Dodge County is not the place you want to make up a hoax about,” Schmidt said.
The sheriff’s lawyer, Sam Hall, told The Post the lawsuit is “ultimately about accountability.
“This lawsuit was filed because a completely fabricated story was pushed into the national spotlight by Naqvi and Cook County Commissioner Morrison,” Hall said. “Unfortunately, their claims were treated as fact without the most basic verification.”
