Sherri Papini, the California woman whose ostensible kidnapping and three-week disappearance in 2016 became national news, was arrested Thursday, March 3, on charges that she allegedly faked her own abduction.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California confirmed Papini’s arrest and said she was charged with making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer and engaging in mail fraud. For the first charge, Papini faces a maximum of five years in prison and possible fines up to $250,000; for the mail fraud charge, Papini faces a max of 20 years in prison and another $250,000 fine.
Papini went missing on Nov. 2, 2016, setting off extensive searches in California and several other states. She was eventually found Nov. 24, 2016 with bindings on her body and various injuries, including a “brand” on her right shoulder.
Papini claimed that she’d been abducted and held against her will at gun point by two Hispanic women, but as authorities dug into the case they came to believe that Papini had made up the story. Rather, they concluded that Papini had allegedly been staying with an ex-boyfriend and had injured herself to bolster her own false narrative.
When questioned about the veracity of her claims in August 2020, Papini allegedly stuck to her story even after being presented with evidence to the contrary. Authorities have also accused Papini of using her allegedly false story to secure over $30,000 from the California Victim’s Compensation...
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