Sherri Papini's sentencing in fake kidnapping case put off until September

Sherri Papini, the Redding mom who faked her own kidnapping five years ago, will have to wait until September to find out if she is going to prison for lying to the FBI and defrauding government officials.

Papini, 39, was set to be in court on July 11 in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, but her attorney asked the judge in the case to postpone judgment and sentencing until Sept. 19.

Papini pleaded guilty in April to lying to the FBI and defrauding federal, state and local governments out of more than $150,000.

Papini's saga began on Nov. 2, 2016, when her husband, Keith, reported her missing when she went out jogging near her home just north of Redding.

She turned up 22 days later, a Thanksgiving morning, wandering alone along Interstate 5 north of Sacramento, bound in chains.

The mother of two concocted an elaborate story that the two Hispanic women in a dark van kidnapped her and kept her confined, abused her, cut her hair and branded her.

But when the FBI confronted Papini with the evidence that she fabricated the kidnapping scheme, she continued to lie to them, officials said in court documents.

Instead of being held captive by two women, she was holed up in an ex-boyfriend's house in Orange County while law enforcement, family, friends and community members conducted a nationwide search to find her.

During the time she was missing, volunteers searched for her, posted signs seeking information about her whereabouts and held rallies on her behalf. A GoFundMe account raised some $49,000 for her from private individuals.

Her disappearance drew worldwide media attention, with her husband appearing on television news programs tearfully pleading for his wife's return.

Even though no one heard from Papini during the three weeks she went missing, and no ransom notes surfaced, a self-professed "freelance hostage negotiator" came forward to help negotiate her release.

After she returned home in November 2016, Papini did not speak publicly about the incident and gave no media interviews.

The Record Searchlight attempted to speak to Papini and several members of her family, but they either declined comment or would not respond to requests for interviews.

And law enforcement officials weren't willing to let the matter drop.

In March of this year, more than five years after her alleged abduction, the U.S. Attorney's Office filed charges against Papini. A month later she admitted to a federal judge that it was all a hoax. 

Check out:Sherri Papini's husband files for divorce, hopes to protect children from her 'notoriety'

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento said Papini faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer. She faces a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for the count of mail fraud, federal officials said.

An official who works for her lawyer, William Portanova of Sacramento, said they have not heard whether Papini will receive prison time.

However, prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence on the low end of the sentencing range, estimated to be between eight and 14 months in custody for the two charges, according to court documents.

As part of her agreement to plead guilty, she admitted she lied to receive $127,567 in disability payments from the U.S. Social Security Administration.

Papini will also be required to pay back $30,694 she received from the California Victims Compensation board. She must also reimburse the Shasta County Sheriff's Office $148,866 for its costs of investigating her disappearance.

Timeline:Prior to Sherri Papini's arrest, these were the major events in her 'kidnapping' case

Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!