REDDING, Calif. — Sherri Papini's husband filed for divorce Wednesday, just two days after the Redding woman pleaded guilty to charges related to faking her own kidnapping in 2016, according to court documents.
Sherri Papini, 39, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and making false statements in relation to faking her own kidnapping on Monday, April 18.
According to court documents, Keith Papini said the family received anonymous hate messages, hate mail and death threats following Sherri Papini's return home after her 2016 disappearance.
"Both I and, especially our children were traumatized by her disappearance and I spent much time and money trying to find my wife. The trauma inflicted on our children at the unexpected loss of their mother was heartbreaking," Keith Papini wrote in court documents.
Keith Papini also filed for sole custody of their two children. According to court documents, Sherri Papini has been living in Chico since her release from jail.
"Now that I have learned the truth, as reflected in the pleas arrangement agreement that she has made with the US Attorney's office in Sacramento, I must act decisively to protect my children from trauma caused by their mother and bring stability and calm to their lives," Keith Papini wrote in court documents.
In 2016, Sherri Papini said “two Hispanic women” had kidnapped her at gunpoint.
Papini was actually staying with a former boyfriend nearly 600 miles away in Orange County. Three weeks later, he dropped her off along Interstate 5 in Woodland.
She had bindings on her body and self-inflicted injuries including a swollen nose and blurred “brand” on her right shoulder. She had other bruises and rashes on many parts of her body, ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, and burns on her left forearm.
In the plea deal, Papini waived her right to trial by jury and is ordered to pay restitution to all her victims. It includes at least $308,000 to the California Victim Compensation Board, Shasta County Sheriff's office, Federal Bureau of Investigations and Social Security Administration.
Sherri Papini has issued a statement through her attorney, apologizing for the pain she caused her loved ones.
"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 said in the statement.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence on the low end of the sentencing range, estimated to be between eight and 14 months in custody, down from the maximum 25 years for the two charges.
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