SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sherri Papini pleaded guilty while appearing in federal court Monday morning in Sacramento on charges related to faking her own kidnapping.
Papini, 39, of Redding, offered no explanation for her elaborate hoax during the half-hour court hearing, answering only “Yes, Your Honor,” and “No, Your Honor" in a trembling voice as Senior U.S. District Judge William Shubb outlined the charges and evidence against her.
“I feel very sad,” she said tearfully when Shubb asked her how she was feeling.
Papini agreed to plead guilty in a deal with prosecutors reached last week and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.
A news release from the U.S Department of Justice said, "Papini agreed to plead guilty to a single count of mail fraud and one count of making false statements."
In the plea deal, Papini also waives 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.
The charges carry penalties of up to five years in federal prison for lying to a federal law enforcement officer and up to 20 years for mail fraud. Prosecutors agreed as part of the plea bargain to recommend a sentence on the low end of the sentencing range, estimated for Papini to be between eight and 14 months in custody.
The 39-year-old 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 a statement.
Former Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Alana Mathews previously said Papini may also have to pay people back who may have given to any fundraisers to help her after she returned in Nov. 2016.
"I believe that there is language that addresses the victims even though they aren’t specifically named or they may not be victims of a specific charge," Mathews said.
At the time of her disappearance, Papini told authorities that she was kidnapped at gunpoint by two Hispanic women and even provided descriptions to an FBI sketch artist along with extensive details of her purported abduction.
However, authorities said she was actually staying with a former boyfriend nearly 600 miles away from her home in Orange County, in Southern California, and hurt herself to back up her false statements.
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