Sherri Papini Charged With Faking Her Own Kidnapping 5 Years After Alleged Abduction

Sherri Papini has been arrested more than five years after she claimed she was abducted and branded by two women. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that Papini was arrested on charges of making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer and engaging in mail fraud after the Redding, California woman originally went missing on Nov. 2, 2016, while her family thought she was going for a jog.

Papini's story gripped the nation when, 22 days later, a motorist found her by the side of the road in Yolo Country, about 150 miles away from home. During the following investigation, Papini told law enforcement she was abducted and held at gunpoint by two Hispanic women, whom she said branded her right shoulder. Investigators with the FBI later determined that Papini had fabricated the story and alleged she was actually in Costa Mesa staying with a former boyfriend, harming herself to support her story. 

"When a young mother went missing in broad daylight, a community was filled with fear and concern," said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert in a statement Thursday. "Shasta County Sheriff's Office immediately began investigating, calling on the assistance of the FBI. Countless hours were spent following leads, all in an effort to bring this woman back to her family. Three weeks later, she was found 146 miles south of where she disappeared, and the focus went from trying to find her to trying to find her abductors."

"Ultimately, the investigation revealed that there was no kidnapping and that time and resources that could have been used to investigate actual crime, protect the community, and provide resources to victims were wasted based on the defendant's conduct," Talbert added.

Papini also is accused of doubling down with false statements during an August 2020 interview with a federal agent and a Shasta County Sheriff's Office detective, despite being shown evidence that she was not actually abducted, according to the press release. Papini also was paid more than $30,000 in victim assistance by the California Victim's Compensation Board in 35 payments from 2017 to 2021, according to the Department of Justice. If convicted, Papini faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge of making false statements to a federal officer, as well as up to 20 years and $250,000 for mail fraud.