Former Clovis mom sentenced to prison for violating her child’s protective order
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gaviola was convicted in December 2025 and later sentenced to three years in federal prison.
- Gaviola arranged for her son to be handcuffed at a Fresno ice rink and driven to Stockton, Missouri.
- The victim said he was diagnosed with severe PTSD and anxiety due to the kidnapping.
A former Clovis mom was sentenced to three years in federal prison for violating a protective order involving the forcible removal of her teenage son from Fresno to a boarding school in Missouri.
Shana Gaviola, 39, was convicted by a jury in December for her role in a plot to take her then 16-year-old son to a school for troubled youth in Missouri.
The teenager, now 21, had petitioned for emancipation from Gaviola and was under a domestic violence protection order against her. Gaviola was prohibited from harassing, blocking the movements of, or contacting her son in any way, including directly or indirectly.
Despite the court order, Gaviola arranged for her son to be taken to Missouri. Individuals acting on Gaviola’s behalf took her son from an ice skating rink, handcuffed him and forced him into a car. He remained in handcuffs for more than 24 hours while they drove to Stockton, Missouri. He was then held at a private school facility until his father was able to free him, according to court documents.
After a five-day trial, Gaviola was convicted of violating the interstate protection order.
During the sentencing hearing Monday, federal prosecutor Veronica Alegria urged the judge for the maximum punishment of five years in prison.
She described Gaviola as a manipulative person who would stop at nothing to get her way.
“Until this moment, your honor, she has had no remorse,” Alegria said. “She has been concerned only about what she wanted; and when she did not get what she wanted, her actions show that she did not care who she hurt.”
The victim spoke briefly, describing the emotional trauma he still lives with.
“ I have experienced fear, extreme anxiety and ongoing stress. I often feel uneasy and worried about my safety,” he said. “I was diagnosed with severe PTSD and anxiety due to my kidnapping. Having been taken from Gateway Ice Center, which I considered my safe place, has given me non-stop anxiety. Being grabbed, handcuffed and driven over 24 hours and being told that I had no rights has affected me to this day.”
Gaviola’s attorney, George T. Pallas of Miami, pleaded with U.S. District Judge John. C. Coughenour to not send his client to prison.
Pallas told the judge his client has no criminal history and that she has not violated her out-of-custody requirements. She was merely trying to protect her family.
“However misguided, however wrong, the intention alone was honorable. It was not to gain any type of advantage in the divorce case. It wasn’t what your courts are typically confronted with,” Pallas said. “She felt the entire system had gone against her — police, courts, school — she was blocked out of everything, and she feared what ultimately happened: the permanent loss of her relationship with her son.”
Speaking to the judge, Gaviola apologized for what she had done.
“I want to begin by taking responsibility for my actions. I know now that the way I handled things was not in accordance with the law, and I deeply regret those decisions,” she said. “I feared permanently losing my oldest son, who I raised alone from the time I was 18. I was overwhelmed and afraid, and I made decisions rooted in that fear.”
Pallas reminded the judge that he filed a motion for dismissal of the charges in October, alleging that one of the prosecutors, Michael Tierney, was guilty of prosecutorial misconduct for speaking to Gaviola without an attorney during a happenstance encounter in May 2023.
Although the motion was denied, the judge chastised Tierney for his conduct.
Gaviola is expected to report to prison July 20. Pallas is planning to appeal.
“This sentence is a disgrace,” Pallas said. “The same Justice Department that prosecuted Shana Gaviola has a standing directive from the Attorney General declaring parental rights a federal priority. Today, a federal judge made a mockery of that policy by sending a terrified mother to prison for three years. Someone in Washington needs to reconcile these two things.”
