Here’s how much Papini’s abduction hoax cost taxpayers and donors, according to authorities
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Hoodwinked: Sherri Papini kidnapping hoax series
Click the arrow below for more coverage on Sherri Papini and the kidnapping hoax that garnered nationwide attention.
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Sherri Papini’s abduction hoax cost Shasta County, state and federal taxpayers, crime victims and donors more than $200,000, according to prosecutors and the sheriff whose office handled the initial investigation.
Last week, Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said on Facebook that the tab to investigate Papini’s “knowingly false claims and staged abduction” was at least $150,000.
“Not only did this charade take valuable resources away from real criminal investigative matters,” Johnson wrote, “but in a time where there is serious human trafficking cases with legitimate victims Sherri Papini used this tragic societal phenomenon to gain notoriety and financial gain.”
In addition, Papini received more than $30,000 from the California Victim Compensation Board to pay for her false kidnapping story, including “reimbursements for therapy sessions, blinds, and ambulance service,” according to federal prosecutors.
The board, which provides financial help to victims of crime, is funded through restitution paid by convicted criminals through the fines and penalties they pay. It also receives federal grant funds, according to the agency.
Donors also were bilked, prosecutors say.
A GoFundMe account opened after her disappearance raised more than $49,000, and court documents say Papini and her husband used some of the funds to pay off their credit cards.
Papini was arrested Thursday in Shasta County. A 55-page federal criminal complaint charges her with one count of making false statements to federal agents and one count of mail fraud.
The charge that she lied to the FBI during interviews could net her five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The wire fraud charge — stemming from the victim board funds for therapy, ambulance services and window blinds for her home — could result in up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Papini disappeared in November 2016, setting off a three-week nationwide search by law enforcement. She was found Thanksgiving Day morning walking along a road near Woodland with a chain around her waist and one arm and various bruises and other injuries.
Papini has a detention hearing scheduled Tuesday in Sacramento. Her defense attorney is seeking to have her released after spending the weekend in jail.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 1:35 PM.