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A California woman whose violent abduction was proven to be false, cost the public hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to statements from court documents and authorities.
According to CNN, Sherri Papini vanished in November 2016. After authorities launched a massive search, the Northern California mother of two turned up three weeks later and told investigators she'd been kidnapped, beaten, and branded by two women who wore masks and spoke Spanish.
However, the Justice Department says Papini fabricated the entire story, revealing that she was actually with an ex-boyfriend in Southern California and caused her own injuries to support her abduction claim. She was arrested last Thursday, March 3, and has been charged with making false statements to a law enforcement officer and mail fraud.
Papini's fraudulent disappearance cost upward of $230,000 and "countless hours" of manpower, according to officials. Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said the investigation borne by public safety agencies cost around $150,000, an estimate he calls conservative.
"Not only did this charade take valuable resources away from real criminal investigative matters, but in a time where there is serious human trafficking cases with legitimate victims Sherri Papini used this tragic societal phenomenon to gain notoriety and financial gain," Johnson wrote in a Facebook caption that accompanied a press release from the Department of Justice.