Sherri Papini, a California woman who pled guilty to faking her own kidnapping in 2016, was recommended an eight-month sentence by prosecutors.
According to an updated sentencing memorandum submitted with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California on Wednesday, federal prosecutors recommended Papini serve one month in jail and seven months under home detention.
Prosecutors stated that Papini’s eight-month sentence, despite being on the lower end of the sentencing guidelines range, is consistent with his plea agreement and “fully and fairly accounts for Papini’s conduct and the relevant sentencing factors, and is sufficient but not greater than necessary to satisfy the sentencing purposes.”
Prosecutors stated, “A lesser sentence, such as the one month of imprisonment proposed by probation or home detention in lieu of imprisonment, is insufficient to meet the sentencing objectives.”
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert stated at the time that Papini pleaded guilty to “making materially false claims to FBI agents about the circumstances of her disappearance and committing mail fraud predicated on her being a kidnapping victim.” Over $300,000 in restitution was ordered to be paid to the California Victim Compensation Board, the Social Security Administration, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI by the court.
Sherri Papini of Redding exits the federal courthouse in Sacramento, California, following her arraignment on April 13, 2022. During a virtual hearing on Monday, April 18, 2022, Papini accepted a plea bargain with prosecutors and pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of making false statements. Rich Pedroncelli / AP
The disappearance of Papini in early November 2016 prompted a three-week hunt. She was discovered with multiple injuries on Thanksgiving, including a swollen nose and a “brand” on her right shoulder.
But according to officials, she had been staying 600 miles away from her Orange County, California home with an ex-boyfriend. They believe that Papini caused the bruises on herself to support her fabricated kidnapping account.
Prosecutors alleged that after she was discovered, she “took her hoax even farther” by filing for disability and victim compensation until she was caught. Prosecutors stated, “These new false acts demonstrate that Papini was not only coping with prior trauma, as her therapist believes, but rather calculating to produce more rewards from her crimes.”
“Papini’s actions resulted in significant harm to the community and other victims. For her behavior, an appropriate punishment is required “attorneys added.
Prosecutors also recommended three years of post-incarceration supervision.