California woman pleads guilty to 2016 kidnapping hoax

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California woman has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and lying to the FBI. But that leaves the mystery of why Sherri Papini carefully faked her own kidnapping and planned a coverup that including self-harm. Papini, of Redding, set off a three-week search until she resurfaced on Thanksgiving Day in 2016. She offered no explanation for her elaborate hoax during the half-hour court hearing Monday. Papini is scheduled to be sentenced July 11. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence on the low end of the sentencing range, estimated to be between eight and 14 months in custody. She also agreed to pay restitution topping $300,000.