According to Los Angeles Magazine, Hannah Kobayashi‘s family has evidence that Hannah had all her funds stolen before she disappeared in a green card marriage immigration scam involving her ex-boyfriend. The family’s lawyer, Sara Azari, said the family could not confirm the information, but Steve Fischer, a California private investigator working the case, says it’s true.
Kobayashi, 30, arrived at LAX on Nov. 8 on her way to Los Angeles, but missed her connecting flight to New York, where she planned to visit her aunt. Her family last heard from Hannah on Nov. 11 via text while she waited on standby for another flight, and told LAPD she may have been abducted or trafficked. The case went viral, but after a weekslong search, LAPD confirmed that Kobayashi missed the flight on purpose and then traveled by bus to the United States-Mexico border, where, on Nov. 12, she crossed on foot.
LAPD has now said Kobayashi is a voluntary missing person. However, the revelation she disappeared by choice and the tragic death of her father, Ryan Kobayashi, in what has been ruled a suicide while he searched for Hannah, have caused some people to question how much Kobayashi’s family knew and when they knew it.
The Kobayashi marriage documents
LA Mag reports that Kobayashi’s mother has found documents that prove Hannah married an Argentinian man for money, which was then stolen. Kobayashi traveled from Maui to LAX with her ex-boyfriend, and they both intended to catch the connecting flight and then go their separate ways in New York City. Her ex boarded the plane, but Hannah didn’t.
LA Mag says her ex may have been involved in the green card scam, and that Kobayashi’s Argentian husband, a man the outlet says is named Alan Cacace, and his girlfriend “Marianna” were also on the plane. The Kobayashi family has turned their evidence of the marriage scam over to investigators, LA Mag said.
Around the same time LA Mag ran their story, the Kobayashis’ high-profile attorney, Sara Anzari, posted a statement on X from the family, which read in part, “We want to stress that the family has not publicly announced any information regarding an alleged marriage because we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information.”
The statement added, “The family has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage. This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigative team.”
Azari went on to say Kobayashi’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, who has been involved in the search for her niece, “does not speak on behalf of our immediate family,” suggesting Pidgeon may have been the unnamed source that tipped off Los Angeles Magazine about the proof of an alleged marriage fraud.
“Hannah Kobayashi is married, as is her ex-boyfriend”
Meanwhile, Steve Fischer is a California private investigator who was not hired by Kobayashi’s family or the LAPD, but has looked into the case on his own. In his X updates, he has been critical of Kobayashi’s family, but has not made specific allegations.
Fischer posted the following, the same day LA Mag ran their story, and Azari shared the Kobayashi family’s statement: “Hannah Kobayashi is married, as is her ex-boyfriend. Here’s why I am disclosing this information: Hannah’s family and now legal counsel [have] repeatedly criticized the LAPD, claiming they are dissatisfied with the investigation into her situation.”
Fischer says Kobayashi’s family was aware of the green card situation as early as Nov. 16, five days after they last heard from Hannah, but continued to cast suspicion on a previously unidentified Black man Hannah was seen with, who has since been identified and cleared in the case.
Fischer added, “It is likely that the LAPD is already aware of this green card scheme and has determined that it is not a priority. If green cards have not been issued, there is no crime. Even if they had been issued, this is a relatively common crime and likely wouldn’t be prosecuted … The real issue is that the family has misrepresented the situation while utilizing public resources, private donations, and public pleas for help,” Fischer said.
Published: Dec 5, 2024 03:42 pm