SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sherri Papini, the Shasta County woman charged with faking her own kidnapping back in 2016, has taken a plea deal.
Her disappearance back in November 2016, plus her story about her alleged abduction, prompted a media frenzy.
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Papini reported that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint by two Hispanic women. In reality, authorities said, Papini was with a former boyfriend in Orange County – and allegedly hurt herself to back up kidnapping story.
Back in March, Papini was arrested on charges of lying to federal agents about being kidnapped. She was also accused of defrauding California’s victim compensation board of $30,000.
Papini was allegedly lying about the kidnapping as late as August 2020, when a federal agent and Shasta County sheriff’s detective interviewed her, according to the charges. She continued to make false statements even after being shown evidence indicating that she had not been abducted, authorities said, and after being warned that it was a crime to lie to a federal agent.
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The now-39 year old Papini had been released on $120,000 bail ahead of the trial.
As part of the plea deal, Papini admitted to orchestrating the kidnapping. She also expressed remorse for her actions.
“I am deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so very sorry for the pain I’ve caused my family, my friends, all the good people who needlessly suffered because of my story and those who worked so hard to try to help me. I will work the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done,” Papini said in a statement released by her lawyer Niki N. Serna.
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Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.