In 2016, a woman who claimed she was abducted and fabricated an elaborate story for the FBI was sentenced to 18 months in prison. His lie led to weeks of extensive and expensive searches for fabricated criminals, and one of his goals was to maintain a relationship with his ex, who was involved in the plot.
The decision of the Justice of the State of California (USA) was confirmed to The New York Times. Sherri Papini, 40, Redding’s home address, pretended to be lost while taking a routine walk in November.
Sherri was found by police more than 20 days later with multiple injuries, including tied and a broken nose. She told authorities she was abducted by two Spanish women who threatened her at gunpoint.
During deposition, Sherri gave the FBI a description of her alleged abductors, and DNA samples were collected from the victim’s body and the captivity location. But investigators were unable to establish the cause of the crime at the time, and no arrests were made.
However, in 2020, suspicions turned to Sherri when a new DNA test showed a connection to a family member of the woman’s ex-boyfriend.
New evidence and confession
Investigators took a sample of genetic material from Sherri’s ex-boyfriend to confirm the match, and the result placed her as a suspect in the kidnapping. When the man was called in for clarification, he admitted to helping Sherri simulate his “escape” from a relationship that he said was abusive.
According to the ex, Sherri planned the fake kidnapping and all the circumstances turned out to be the victim of aggression. She cut her own hair, injured parts of her body, and asked her ex to leave bruises on her. At the time of the crime, Sherri was married to the father of her two children.
After the police gathered enough evidence to prove the hoax, Sherri was pressured but insisted on sticking to the story she had told earlier. In March 2022, authorities filed charges against Sherri, who finally pleaded guilty in mid-April.
He appeared in court yesterday and was sentenced to 18 months in prison plus 36 months on probation. The conviction was based on crimes of mail fraud and false statements made to FBI agents.
“Sherri not only lied to the police, her friends and family, but she also lied to the California Victims’ Compensation Board and the Social Security Administration,” federal prosecutors said. current rate) disability benefits and “kidnapping trauma”. By order of the judge, the value of the benefits must be returned.
As part of the sentence, the judge ordered Sherri to pay $309,902 (approximately R$1.6 million) in compensation for the crimes and case-related losses.
source: Noticias
