California woman's alleged fake abduction cost the public hundreds of thousands of dollars, authorities say
CTV
A California woman's abduction claim, which federal prosecutors allege was false, cost the public hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to statements from authorities and court documents.
Sherri Papini, who is due in court on Tuesday, vanished in November 2016, launching a massive search, only for the Northern California mother of two to turn up three weeks later, telling investigators she'd been kidnapped, beaten and branded.
The Justice Department says Papini made the whole thing up. She was arrested last Thursday and has been charged with making false statements to a law enforcement officer and mail fraud, the department said in a news release.
Papini's alleged fraudulent disappearance was not without consequences to others: It cost upward of US$230,000 and "countless hours" of manpower, according to officials.
"Ultimately, the investigation revealed that there was no kidnapping," U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in the DOJ news release, "and that time and resources that could have been used to investigate actual crime, protect the community, and provide resources to victims were wasted based on the defendant's conduct."
