Sherri Papini, the California mom who pleaded guilty to charges related to faking her kidnapping while hiding away with an ex-fling and then cashing the assistance checks of victims after she reemerged, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her costly scheme on Monday, September 19.
Papini was sentenced on Monday in a California federal court before U.S. District Court Judge William B. Shubb, according to Fox News. The 39-year-old's sentencing was far from what the defense and prosecutors had asked for. In addition to spending 18 months behind bars, Papini was also ordered to serve 36 months of supervised release.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors submitted their separate sentencing memorandums ahead of the young mom's upcoming court date, as lawyers for Papini argued that her punishment already feels like a life sentence, according to the filings.
Papini tells the judge she accepts responsibility
Before Shubb delivered the sentence, Papini read a statement to the court, telling the jurist that she was so sorry to those she had impacted. She added that she was choosing to humbly accept responsibility, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Papini addressed the judge, telling him you have seen so much dishonor before you here in this room, people who are not willing to walk through the shame to say they are guilty. She then told the judge that she was not one of them.
She added that what was done cannot be undone and never be erased. She said she is not choosing to stay frozen like she was in 2016. She is choosing to commit to healing the parts of herself that were so very broken.
Prosecutors urged the judge to sentence Papini to eight months in jail. They described it as a low-end Guidelines sentence that fully and fairly accounts for the totality of her conduct and the relevant sentencing factors.
Prosecutors blast Papini for kidnapping hoax
Prosecutors slammed Papini for planning and executing what they described as a sophisticated kidnapping hoax and then continuing to lie about her abduction for years after she returned.
Prosecutors said that state and federal investigators devoted limited resources to her case for nearly four years before they independently learned the truth that Papini was not kidnapped or tortured.
The prosecutors' sentencing memorandum added that Papini caused innocent individuals to become targets of a criminal investigation during this time, according to BBC News. They said she left the public in fear of her alleged Hispanic capturers, who she said purportedly remained at large.
They further blasted Papini for repeating her fake story to law enforcement. She stuck to her bogus story even when agents confronted her with the evidence of what happened in August 2020. Papini also allegedly lied to the Social Security Administration and California Victim Compensation Board to receive financial benefits.
Papini pleaded guilty to two of the 35 total counts in April 2022 for making false statements to a federal office and engaging in mail fraud.
