Back in 2016, Sherri Papini, a mother from California, charged two Hispanic women with kidnapping her for 22 days. Nobody had any idea where Papini was or what was happening to her for the twenty-two days that she was missing. She did, however, tell authorities everything about her “abduction” when she got back from it. She is currently being detained for fabricating the entire incident and lying to the police about her supposed kidnapping, which occurred six years ago.
However, prosecutors’ actions against Sherri “supermom” Papini put her in hot water. Authorities have now charged a 39-year-old California mother with scamming the state’s victim compensation board of $30,000 and lying to federal officials about being abducted by “two Hispanic ladies.”
Papini was allegedly abducted by two women in 2016 and was discovered on Thanksgiving Day. Since she was reported missing on November 2, 2016, following a jog, authorities have searched California and other nearby states for 22 days.
Papini had a fractured nose, a “brand” on her right shoulder from what was allegedly torture she endured during the abduction, and her head had been shaved, when she was found. And when officials rushed to her aid, they also discovered her tied up. The Californian mom explained how two Hispanic ladies had kidnapped her for weeks while holding her at gunpoint. She gave detailed descriptions of the women and even collaborated with an FBI sketch artist to accurately replicate their features.
However, Authorities were constantly baffled because they had no idea why the “two Hispanic ladies” had abducted Papini and then simply released her without demanding a ransom or anything like that, as no one was ever taken to arrest anyone in the case.
But when Papini was discovered in 2016, police took DNA samples from her clothing. They searched their database, but they never discovered any matches. However, they received a match in 2020. The DNA belonged to a man whose father’s DNA was listed in the government database. He confessed to everything and informed authorities that the entire kidnapping was a big fake when they linked the DNA to Papini’s ex-boyfriend.
An announcement by the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California then said in a release, saying, “In truth, Papini had been voluntarily staying with a former boyfriend in Costa Mesa and had harmed herself to support her false statements.”
Six years later, Papini faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a $250,000 reparation obligation to the state of California, as she’s now formally accused of fabricating the entire incident and will be held accountable for her conduct.
Papini’s attorney, Gregory J. Rynerson, stated that his client is “truly sorry for the lies she told and will have to live with the consequences of her choices for the rest of her life,” in a statement.
“Sherri has accepted responsibility for her conduct and will be pleading guilty to these charges,” Rynerson added.
On June 15, 2020, Papini is expected to show up in court. She is out on $50,000 bail until then, and she has to wear a monitoring device. Additionally, she is not permitted to leave Northern California.