SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A Northern California woman pleaded guilty Monday to faking her own kidnapping and lying to the FBI about it, leaving her motive unanswered in the carefully planned hoax that set off a massive three-week search before she resurfaced on Thanksgiving Day in 2016.
Sherri 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.
