"Hoax Kidnapping Victim" Sheri Papini Sentenced to 18 Months | Breaking News
Episode 456, Sep 19, 2022, 10:29 PM
After her 2016 kidnapping hoax was discovered thanks to breakthroughs in DNA technology, Sherri Papini, a mother from California, was sentenced to a year and a half in jail on Monday, as reported by the Department of Justice.
After Papini, now 40 years old, agreed to the hoax and pleaded guilty to mail fraud and making false statements in April, Judge William B. Shubb sentenced her to 18 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. Almost $311,000 in restitution was also added to her sentence.
The judge's punishment was significantly longer than what the defense had asked for. The prosecution requested a sentence of eight months in prison; the defense argued for one month in incarceration and seven months of home detention.
In a statement read aloud to the judge, Papini argued that: "I really regret the pain I've caused to so many. My family and friends, who gave so much for the damaged woman I once was. Those that helped me out when I really needed it and provided without expecting anything in return. It's very appreciated."
She admitted before the judge that she lied and had dishonored her family and was now willing to "repent and to concede."
The allegations stem from when Papini went missing in November 2016 when she went for a jog in Shasta County, which is located in Northern California. After being missing for three weeks, she was discovered hurt and alone on a highway some 140 miles distant. She informed police that two disguised Spanish-speaking women kidnapped her, confined her to a closet, threatened her with a gun, and branded her with a heated object before releasing her.
Authorities launched a thorough hunt for the alleged Hispanic kidnappers, but their efforts yielded no results after several years. Additionally, she was awarded almost $30,000 in victim compensation payments from the state.
Her story unraveled in 2020 when DNA evidence linked her clothes to an ex-boyfriend who later revealed that the kidnapping was a lie.
Federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing letter that the fake was a waste of resources and led officers to pursue innocent people.
The petition states that prosecutors believe Papini "conceived and executed a complex kidnapping hoax, and then continued to perpetuate her false assertions for years after her return without concern for the harm she caused others." Because of this, "for over four years, state and federal investigators committed minimal resources to Papini's investigation," before discovering "that she was not kidnapped and tortured" on their own.
Prosecutors further said that "Papini forced innocent individuals to become targets of a criminal investigation." The public was left in a state of anxiety while her claimed Hispanic captors remained at large.
Papini's lawyer wrote in a sentencing memo that his client had acknowledged to the deception and that she felt her reputation had taken enough of a hit.
"Sherri's long period of denial has come to an end. Her name has become synonymous with this terrible fraud. You can't ignore it any longer, "In the filing, attorney William Portanova stated.
"It's impossible to conceive of a more harrowing public exposure of a person's damaged psyche. In its current form, the punishment is severe enough to feel like a permanent ban from society "Moreover, he said.
Portanova tried to differentiate the modern-day Papini from the perpetrator outside of court on Monday.
It's not the same Sherri Papini you met five years ago, he remarked; she's changed a lot.If you like TRUE CRIME TODAY - Be sure to search and subscribe wherever you download podcasts!
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After Papini, now 40 years old, agreed to the hoax and pleaded guilty to mail fraud and making false statements in April, Judge William B. Shubb sentenced her to 18 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. Almost $311,000 in restitution was also added to her sentence.
The judge's punishment was significantly longer than what the defense had asked for. The prosecution requested a sentence of eight months in prison; the defense argued for one month in incarceration and seven months of home detention.
In a statement read aloud to the judge, Papini argued that: "I really regret the pain I've caused to so many. My family and friends, who gave so much for the damaged woman I once was. Those that helped me out when I really needed it and provided without expecting anything in return. It's very appreciated."
She admitted before the judge that she lied and had dishonored her family and was now willing to "repent and to concede."
The allegations stem from when Papini went missing in November 2016 when she went for a jog in Shasta County, which is located in Northern California. After being missing for three weeks, she was discovered hurt and alone on a highway some 140 miles distant. She informed police that two disguised Spanish-speaking women kidnapped her, confined her to a closet, threatened her with a gun, and branded her with a heated object before releasing her.
Authorities launched a thorough hunt for the alleged Hispanic kidnappers, but their efforts yielded no results after several years. Additionally, she was awarded almost $30,000 in victim compensation payments from the state.
Her story unraveled in 2020 when DNA evidence linked her clothes to an ex-boyfriend who later revealed that the kidnapping was a lie.
Federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing letter that the fake was a waste of resources and led officers to pursue innocent people.
The petition states that prosecutors believe Papini "conceived and executed a complex kidnapping hoax, and then continued to perpetuate her false assertions for years after her return without concern for the harm she caused others." Because of this, "for over four years, state and federal investigators committed minimal resources to Papini's investigation," before discovering "that she was not kidnapped and tortured" on their own.
Prosecutors further said that "Papini forced innocent individuals to become targets of a criminal investigation." The public was left in a state of anxiety while her claimed Hispanic captors remained at large.
Papini's lawyer wrote in a sentencing memo that his client had acknowledged to the deception and that she felt her reputation had taken enough of a hit.
"Sherri's long period of denial has come to an end. Her name has become synonymous with this terrible fraud. You can't ignore it any longer, "In the filing, attorney William Portanova stated.
"It's impossible to conceive of a more harrowing public exposure of a person's damaged psyche. In its current form, the punishment is severe enough to feel like a permanent ban from society "Moreover, he said.
Portanova tried to differentiate the modern-day Papini from the perpetrator outside of court on Monday.
It's not the same Sherri Papini you met five years ago, he remarked; she's changed a lot.If you like TRUE CRIME TODAY - Be sure to search and subscribe wherever you download podcasts!
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-a-true-crime-podcast/id1504280230?uo=4
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0GYshi6nJCf3O0aKEBTOPs
Stitcher http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/real-ghost-stories-online-2/dark-side-of-wikipedia-true-crime-disturbing-stories
iHeart https://www.iheart.com/podcast/270-Dark-Side-of-Wikipedia-Tru-60800715
Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/565dc51b-d214-4fab-b38b-ae7c723cb79a/Dark-Side-of-Wikipedia-True-Crime-Dark-History
Google Podcasts https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzUwMDEyNjAucnNz
Or Search "True Crime Today" for the best in True Crime ANYWHERE you get podcasts!
Support the show at http://www.patreon.com/truecrimetoday