Accused California kidnapping fraudster Sherri Papini was released from custody Tuesday after a judge ruled she is not a threat to the community.
As a condition of her release, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremy D. Peterson mandated psychiatric treatment and ordered Papini to turn over her passport. Her family posted her $120,000 bond. KCRA witnessed Papini leave the Sacramento County Main Jail on Tuesday afternoon, where she was met by family members.
Papini, 39, is facing charges of lying to federal agents and defrauding the California Victim Compensation Board of approximately $30,000.
On Nov. 2, 2016, Papini was reported missing after going for a jog in her Redding neighborhood. Her phone and earbuds were found neatly placed on the side of a road, playing her wedding song, Michael Buble’s “Everything,” on repeat. Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day, she resurfaced on Interstate 5, badly bruised and underweight.
READ MORE: FBI affidavit unravels astounding claims about Sherri Papini
She told investigators that while on her jog, she saw an SUV with two “Hispanic” women inside. When Papini got closer, she said one woman pulled a gun on her and ordered her into the vehicle. Despite the terror of the abduction, Papini told FBI agents that she slept most of the drive. She did not allege she was drugged, although at one point she asked if a stun gun would affect her memory; investigators told her this was unlikely.
Papini said one woman told her they were going to “sell” her to “a cop.” She could not explain why she was released by her abductors.
In a Monday appearance on “Good Morning America,” Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said investigators grew suspicious while interviewing Papini after her reappearance.
“It is a case of calculated deception, driven I think by her narcissistic behavior,” Johnson said. “It really had an impact on this community.”
According to a recently unsealed FBI affidavit, DNA found on Papini’s clothing was linked to an ex-boyfriend in Southern California. According to the affidavit, the man, who had known Papini since they were teenagers, said she contacted him “out of the blue” and claimed “her husband was beating and raping her, and she was trying to escape.” The ex-boyfriend allegedly told investigators he drove from his residence in Southern California to Redding on Nov. 2, 2016, to pick up Papini.
The ex-boyfriend claimed he eventually drove Papini back toward Redding, dropping her off when she instructed him to. The affidavit alleges cellphone records from both Papini and her ex-boyfriend corroborated his retelling of events, and the pair used prepaid phones to communicate. According to the FBI, Papini continues to stand by her story.
“Human trafficking is a real thing, and there are victims out there that need our help,” Johnson told “Good Morning America.” “Investigations are complex and budgets are tight. So when we put all that effort into such a case and find out that things are not as they seem, and we have been deceived and law enforcement has been duped, it’s really taxing on everyone.”
Johnson also said the case was hurtful to the local Latino community.
“They suddenly didn’t feel safe to walk the river trails and be alone,” he said. “You have a story of a typical American mom who was just abducted by what is seemingly a cartel-type human trafficking operation, which is just not true. And that disrupted a lot of things for a lot of people around here.”
Johnson said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if more people are charged in connection with Papini’s case. She is due back in court on March 25 for a preliminary hearing.