Sherri Papini arrested on suspicion of faking 2016 kidnapping that caught national attention
In 2016, three weeks into a search that had made headlines across the nation, Sherri Papini turned up on the side of a Yolo County freeway bound, emaciated and injured. The Redding mother of two described harrowing treatment at the hands of her mysterious abductors.
As a result of the alleged kidnapping, Papini had been granted over $30,000 in about 35 payments from the California Victim Compensation Board to pay for therapist appointments and other costs, officials said. He picked Papini up just outside Redding in a rented car and drove her to his home in Costa Mesa, prosecutors said. Papini allegedly never left the residence during her stay.
In August 2020, during an interview with a federal agent and a Shasta County Sheriff’s Office detective, Papini was presented with evidence that showed she had not been abducted and was warned that lying to federal law enforcement officials is a crime, prosecutors said.The twists and turns of her alleged kidnapping and reappearance were widely reported years ago, drawing nationwide attention even as some observers expressed disbelief at her story.