Sherri Papini is breaking her long silence and sharing her side of the story of her infamous kidnapping hoax.
Sherri, 41, is speaking out as part of a new Investigation Discovery documentary special in which she will speak candidly reflect on its disappearance and the consequences — including intense media scrutiny and subsequent federal investigation.
Jason Sarlanis, president of Investigation Discovery, said in a press release Monday: “Sherri Papini captured the world’s attention when she disappeared and again when she returned. While many perspectives have been told, there is one point of view the world has not heard and that is Sherri’s own.”
“Investigation Discovery will present a new side of Sherri Papini’s case, told in her own words,” said Sarlanis.
Sherri and her ex-husband, Keith Papini, made headlines in 2016 when Sherri disappeared while on a run near their home in Redding, California. Extensive searches were conducted for her in Shasta County, throughout California, as well as in other states.
Twenty-two days later — on November 24, 2016 — Papini reappeared in Yolo County, with several bandages on his body and injuries, including a “mark” on his right shoulder, and stated that she was kidnapped by two hispanic women at gunpoint, held against her will and who had been abused by her captors. In this point, law enforcement efforts focused on finding her kidnappers.
As investigators continued to look into Sherri’s claims, they found evidence indicating that she had not been kidnapped. In March 2022, more than five years after her disappearance, Sherri was charged with lying to federal agents about being kidnapped and defrauding the state of victims’ compensation. $30,000 board.
Authorities said that, after a full investigationit was discovered that Sherri was with an ex-boyfriend nearly 600 miles from her home in Southern California’s Orange County and injured herself to back up her false statements.
However, even when she was warned that her story was falling apart, Sherri continued to insist that she was telling the truth. Eventually, Sherri pleaded guilty to lying to a federal officer and mail fraud in April 2022.
Keith filed for divorce from Sherri shortly after her guilty plea. He cited “irreconcilable differences” after their 12-year marriage and requested sole custody of their two children.
In September 2022, Sherri was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution, $148,866 to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and $2,558 to the FBI. She finished serving a sentence of less than one year in prison.
According to Investigation Discovery, the as-yet-untitled docuseries “will feature unprecedented access to archival footage, legal documents and court proceedings, as well as extensive interviews with those close to Papini and the investigation – offering new insights and possible answers to questions ”. that still revolve around this case almost a decade later.”
Production of the documentary series is underway and is scheduled to premiere in 2025 on ID.
Sherri’s ex-husband recently spoke out for the first time in a three-part Hulu docu-series, Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, which premiered on June 20.
Check out the stories below to learn more about Keith’s shared revelations about his ex-wife’s high-profile scam and the subsequent fallout.
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