Sherri Papini Released from Prison After Being Sentenced for Faking Her Own Kidnapping
California mom Sherri Papini, who was convicted of faking her own kidnapping, has reportedly been released from prison, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The 41-year-old mother of two will be staying at one of the Residential-Reentry Management Field Office halfway house locations.
Papini's story gained nationwide attention when she disappeared in November 2016. Her husband and friends raised the alarm, and a massive search was launched to find her.
Papini reappeared three weeks later near Woodland, wearing a chain around her waist and arm.
The California "Supermom" told police that two Hispanic women had kidnapped her at gunpoint. However, the investigation took a dramatic turn when Papini's DNA was found on a piece of clothing that led back to her ex-boyfriend.
It was discovered that the two had planned the hoax together, with Papini instructing him to obtain prepaid cell phones. On November 2, 2016, Papini texted her ex-boyfriend, instructing him to pick her up.
Papini pleaded guilty to mail fraud and making a false statement. She received financial compensation from different sources, including the California Victim Compensation Board, GoFundMe, and Social Security disability payments, totaling over $200,000. However, a judge ordered her to pay $309,902.23 in restitution for the costs incurred during the search for her.
After her reappearance, Papini reportedly used funds from the California Victim Compensation Board to purchase new blinds for her home and cover other expenses, including therapy for her alleged anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to court records, Papini's ex-boyfriend helped her escape her home in Redding and hide in Costa Mesa, around 600 miles south of her residence, for three weeks.
At the time, many compared the case to the 2014 David Fincher film Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.
- 'Already Feels Like A Life Sentence': California Mom Who Confessed To Kidnapping Hoax To Be With Secret Ex Awaits Fate As Attorney Pleads For Leniency
- Sherri Papini Charged For Faking Kidnapping, Authorities Say She 'Harmed Herself To Support Her False Statements'
- 'Supermom' Sherri Papini's Husband Files For Divorce Two Days After She Pleads Guilty To Staging Her Own Abduction
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After clues led her to be charged with the crime, Papini pled guilty to making false statements and mail fraud in April. RadarOnline.com learned that her shocked and heartbroken spouse, Keith Papini, filed for divorce just two days later.
This case has been highly publicized and scrutinized due to the impact it had on law enforcement resources and the emotional toll it took on those involved.
"Ms. Papini maintained the lie for years thereafter, terrified that she had actually destroyed the one thing in her life that brought her true love and happiness, her family, desperately praying that the day of discovery would never come. Once discovered, she lied again until there was nowhere else to go but to admit the truth of the matter," said defense attorney William Portanova, who claimed the stain of her scandal would follow her for years to come.
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