Stories of some people are full of twists and turns, and one such example of a person is Sherri Papini. She was once one of the most famous kidnapping hoaxer. However, at present, she is claiming to be abducted in 2016—and no strangers were involved in it, but by her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes.
While promoting her memoir, “Sherri Papini Doesn’t Exist,” she told ABC– “I’m not actually asking anyone to believe anything. I just am free now, and I have the capacity to speak for myself without being afraid.”
Her original tale, which sent shockwaves, states that a young mom vanished at the time she was jogging and also claimed to have been abducted by a couple of armed Hispanic women. And then, three weeks later—she returned with several scars and claimed that she was able to escape. However, federal authorities could disclose that it was all a lie.
The significant reason behind all these was just because she was trying to hide from Reyes in Southern California, as there were several injuries around her, brought in by him. At the same time, her children, as well as her husband, desperately searched for it.
Sherri Papini faked her kidnapping.
An FBI agent tells her lying to him is a crime. She doesn’t acknowledge him & stares at her nails.
She turns to her husband:
“I think we need my lawyer.”
We?
Girl, YOU staged the kidnapping. He just married it.#sherripapini #truecrime pic.twitter.com/VqsUZlBYMg
— RVealingthecrime (@RVealingthecrme) June 1, 2025
In 2022, Papini reportedly pleaded guilty to lying to several federal agents and mail fraud, and concerning that, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison but served 10. Besides, she also reportedly paid a whopping amount of $300,000 in restitution and also for the lost custody of her kids. And shortly after her guilty plea, her husband, Keith Papini, filed for divorce as well.
At present, Paipini is saying that she lied about her fear. “Prison was far safer than the consequences that I would suffer if my ex-husband found out I was having an emotional affair,” she told ABC. “I’d prefer prison over telling Keith Papini that I was having an emotional affair.”
She has also reflected on her marriage to Keith, who was allegedly emotionally abusive, but Keith, on the other hand, has denied the allegation. “To be clear, there was one thing that I lied about,” she insisted. “Everything else was accurate and true. I lied about the identity of my captor.”
And in the recent version of events, Reyes wasn’t a willing accomplice either – he was an abuser. “I remember waking up briefly in the back of the vehicle and not being able even to keep my eyes open,” she recalled.
“This is not where I’m supposed to be.” She detailed being chained in a closet, branded, and assaulted. “The injuries that occurred… the bites on my thigh, the footprint on my back, the brand, the melting of my skin—I am telling you there was no consent.”
Sherri Papini’s case is a reminder that justice catches up and integrity matters.
— Mark Stopa Crimes (@MarkStopaCrimes) June 2, 2025
However, Reyes has also denied all these allegations and has eventually not been charged. “I’ve done it. I’ve suffered for it,” Papini said of her prison time. “You watched me burn for it…”
