Federal officials say Cherie Papini, the woman who staged her own elaborate kidnapping and went to prison on charges of mail fraud and lying to federal agents, still owes more than $300,000 in restitution.
Papini, 41, was ordered to pay $309,902 in restitution when she was sentenced to federal prison in September 2022, nearly six years after she kidnapped her and began a frantic search that made national headlines.
But as of March 22, federal officials say, Papini still owes nearly all of that money.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California has filed a motion for a $340,221.23 garnishment order against Papini, which includes an additional 10% litigation fee.
The order also targeted the law firm representing Papini in her divorce. The filing alleges that Papini has a “substantial non-exempt interest in property” that is in the “possession, custody or control” of the law firm.
Representatives for Papini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Papini disappeared from her Redding, California, home for 22 days in 2016, sparking search teams throughout rural Shasta County and desperate calls for help from her then-husband, Keith Papini.
Three weeks later, Papini reappeared on the side of a highway in Yolo County, bruised and emaciated, her long blonde hair cut short and her right shoulder marked.
Papini initially claimed that she was kidnapped while out jogging by two Latinas at gunpoint and that they detained her before letting her go.
Instead, Papini went south to Costa Mesa with her ex-boyfriend, staying with him for several weeks while her family and community back home searched for her.
Papini kept her story private for years, even when the investigation into her kidnapping led law enforcement back to her ex-boyfriend. It all started to unravel in August 2020, when investigators confronted Papini in an interview and he was warned that lying to federal officers was a crime.
Papini stuck to her story for another year and a half before federal authorities arrested the “super mom” in March 2022 and charged her with mail fraud and lying to authorities.
The ex-boyfriend told investigators that Papini had cut herself and cut her hair, and that he had helped her by touching her shoulder with a wood-burning tool. After she said she missed her home and family, he drove her back to the Redding area; It reappeared in Woodland, about 150 miles south, on Thanksgiving.
Papini pleaded guilty in April 2022 and was later sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution “for losses incurred by the California Victim Compensation Board, the Social Security Administration, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.” According to the US Attorney's Office.
Papini received $30,000 from the state's Victim Compensation Fund, money designated for crime victims and their families, and used it in part to pay for therapy sessions and window blinds. She was released from federal prison to community detention six months before August 2023.
“I am very sorry for the many people who have suffered because of me,” Papini said in court when she was sentenced. “I'm guilty, Your Honor. I'm guilty of lying, I'm guilty of disgrace.”
