California mom Sherri Papini sentenced to 18 months in prison for faking abduction, running away with ex-fling

Sherry Papini, The California mother A man who pleaded guilty to faking her kidnapping while hiding out with a former fling and then cashing victims’ aid checks after she resurfaced was jailed for 18 months on Monday for his expensive scheme. Sentence was passed.

Papini, 39, was sentenced Monday in a federal court in California before U.S. District Court Judge William B. Schaub. The sentence was far from what both the prosecution and the defense had called for. In addition to serving 18 months behind bars, Penny was ordered to serve 36 months of supervised release.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys filed their separate sentencing briefs ahead of Papini’s next court date, as attorneys for the young mother contended that her sentence already “feels like a life sentence,” according to the filing. It turns out.

Before Shabb announced the sentence, Papini read a statement in court in which he told the judge he was “very sorry” to the people he had affected and that he was “humbly Choosing to accept responsibility”. Sacramento bee.

California mom Sherry Papini ‘feels like a life sentence’, lawyer says before sentencing

“You’ve seen so much disrespect in front of you here in this room,” Papini reportedly said. “Those who are not willing to walk in shame say they are criminals. I am not one of them, your honor.”

She later added: “What’s done can’t be undone. It can never be erased. I’m not choosing to be frozen like 2016. I’m making a commitment to heal those parts of me.” which were very broken.”

Prosecutors urged Schaub to sentence Papini to eight months in prison, which they described as a “low-end guideline sentence” that “takes full and full account of Papini’s conduct and relevant sentencing factors.” There is fair liability,” the document said.

He criticized Papini for planning and executing it The latest kidnapping scam“And then continued to lie for years after he came back.

“As a result, state and federal investigators devoted limited resources to Papini’s case for nearly four years before they independently learned the truth: that she had not been kidnapped or tortured,” prosecutors said. ” said the prosecutor.

California mother Sherry Papini pleads guilty to fake kidnapping: ‘I feel very sad’

Their Memory of Punishment Added: “During this time, Papini subjected innocent people to criminal investigations. He left the public in fear of his alleged Spanish captors who are allegedly on the run.”

Prosecutors further criticized Papini for repeating his false story Law enforcement, until in August 2020 when agents confronted him with evidence of what really happened. He also allegedly lied to the California Victim Compensation Board and the Social Security Administration to obtain financial benefits.

Papini Guilty plea Two of a total of 35 in April 2022 — for engaging in mail fraud and making false statements to a federal office, prosecutors said.

The California mother who allegedly negotiated her own kidnapping strike plea deal will admit it was a hoax.

In his sentencing memorandum, Papini’s defense attorney, William Portanova, said the jurist ordered Papini to spend one month in jail and the remaining seven on home detention, which is in line with the United States Probation Office’s recommendation. .

Portanova described Papini. As “outwardly sweet and loving, yet capable of intense deception, whether for purposes of controlling circumstances or for emotional self-preservation.”

“Ms. Papini’s chameleon personalities led her to simultaneously desire family protection and youth freedom,” the filing said. “Although these feelings are not unique, they were pathological in this. Her life was miserable until she married and started a family of her own.”

After running away from her husband and family, she returned and told lie after lie, “terrified that she had destroyed the one thing in her life that had brought her true love and happiness.” Aye, her family, was desperately praying that the day of her discovery would come. It would never come,” Portanova wrote.

“Her unshakable masquerading was on full public display when she returned from her fake abduction bearing her self-inflicted penance wounds,” he wrote. He later added: “It looks like there is little or no chance of going backwards for Sherry now. The lie is out, Confession of guiltan embarrassment seen around the world.”

Portanova added: “It’s hard to imagine a more brutal public revelation of a person’s broken inner self. At this point, the punishment is already severe and feels like a life sentence.”

Portanova did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Monday.

The married mother of two from Redding, California was first reported missing on November 2, 2016 when she left home for a walk. Family members became concerned when she never picked up her children from daycare, and her husband discovered her cell phone and headphones on the street.

She re-emerged on Thanksgiving Day 2016, still bound and with injuries, including a broken nose, ligature marks, burns, rashes and a branding on her right shoulder.

California mother Sherry Papini charged in 2016 kidnapping

Papini claimed to have been kidnapped and held at gunpoint by two Hispanic women, whom he described to investigators – and an FBI sketcher – and told the story of his time in prison. However, during repeated interviews, he Changed his story or was unable to provide key details, investigators alleged.

“In fact, Papini was voluntarily living with an ex-boyfriend in Costa Mesa and self-harmed to support her false statements,” prosecutors said in a March 2022 arrest announcement. said in a press release.

Prior to the plea agreement, Papini was facing 34 counts of mail fraud and one count of making false statements.

Click here for the Fox News app.

He instead pleaded guilty to one count each, and agreed to pay up to $300,000 in restitution. More specifically, he was ordered to pay approximately $149,000 in restitution to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office. at least $127,568 to the Social Security Administration; $30,694 to the California Victims’ Compensation Board, and more than $2,500 to the FBI, according to court papers.