Criminal Law
Authorities Say a California Woman’s Alleged Abduction Hoax Cost the Public Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars
A California woman’s abduction claim, which federal prosecutors allege was false, cost the public hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to statements from authorities and court documents.
Sherri Papini, who is due in court on Tuesday, vanished in November 2016, launching a massive search, only for the Northern California mother of two to turn up three weeks later, telling investigators she’d been kidnapped, beaten and branded.
The Justice Department says Papini made the whole thing up. She was arrested last Thursday and has been charged with making false statements to a law enforcement officer and mail fraud, the department said in a news release.
