REDDING, Calif. (KRON) — Sherri Papini, the Northern California woman who faked her own kidnapping in an elaborate hoax, has begun serving her prison sentence.
According to federal inmate records, Papini is currently an inmate of Federal Correctional Institution Victorville, a medium security federal prison in San Bernardino County.
In September, 40-year-old Papini was sentenced by a judge to serve 18 months in prison for lying to federal investigators.
The married stay-at-home mom staged a kidnapping hoax in 2016. Her disappearance in Redding, Calif., set off frantic search efforts across Northern California. In reality, the whole time Papini was missing, she was actually staying with her ex-boyfriend in Orange County, investigators said.
She re-appeared running along Interstate 5 in Woodland, Calif. on Nov. 24, 2016. Papini had a chain around her waist and self-inflicted injuries on her body. She told her husband and law enforcement officers that two Hispanic women kidnapped her at gunpoint and held her in a closet.
Papini stuck by her story for years until she was confronted by detectives in an interrogation room who presented her with evidence from her ex-boyfriend.
She later pleaded guilty to lying to federal law enforcement officers and mail fraud.
After her plea hearing, Papini released a written statement through her defense attorney that read, “I am deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so very sorry for the pain I’ve caused my family, my friends, all the good people who needlessly suffered because of my story and those who worked so hard to try to help me. I will work the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done.”
Papini’s husband filed for divorce earlier this year.
