The Californian ‘super mom’ who faked her own kidnapping in 2016 in a Gone Girl-style plot has accused her ex-husband of asking their children to make secret recordings of their custody sessions, can reveal DailyMail.com exclusively.
Sherri Papini, 42, spent just over 10 months in federal prison last year after her elaborate deception unraveled and she was convicted of fraud. She was in fact living with an ex-boyfriend.
It took police nearly six years to unravel Papini’s elaborate hoax that saw her starve and brand herself while hiding in a Costa Mesa apartment for three weeks before dramatically reappearing to claim she had been kidnapped by two Hispanic women.
The investigation cost the Californian authorities more than $150,000, while Papini collected his fraud to the tune of $30,000 thanks to a public fund created for victims of crime.
DailyMail.com can reveal Sherri Papini has only seen her children Tyler, 11, and Violet, 9, three times since her release and believes her ex-husband Keith recorded custody sessions.
The mother of two received a cash settlement of just $10,000 in her divorce and is only allowed to see her children once a month for a one-hour supervised visit.
Her husband Keith, 41, filed for divorce shortly after her arrest, writing in divorce papers that he and their children Tyler, 11, and Violet, nine, had been “victimized” repeatedly and repeatedly. who they had lied to.
After serving her time at the medium-security FCI Victorville, Papini was sent to a Bay Area halfway house where, in September, she was photographed exclusively by DailyMail.com jumping for joy as she left for a new beginning outside.
But while Papini’s plans included an idyllic existence in the small town of Red Bluff funded by a substantial payment from Keith, DailyMail.com can reveal it didn’t really work out that way for the mother-of-two.
Indeed, the 41-year-old now seems more suspicious than ever. Before her arrest, she led a reclusive life at her and Keith’s secluded home in Redding and had taken to wearing a piece of alcohol-soaked cloth around her neck so she could breathe what she said was “soothing” vapors.
Now court documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal blonde Papini even became nervous about being secretly recorded during her time with her children – repeatedly complaining about a watch her daughter was wearing which she claimed had been set up to record by Keith.
Records show Papini has only seen his children three times since his release from prison – and only saw Violet on her last visit, when Tyler refused to attend.
The first session took place on November 15 – two months after she was released from the Oakland halfway house – and saw her spending time with both children without problems, according to the report written by a court-appointed supervisor .
Papini (seen at left leaving a federal courthouse in 2022) claimed her three-week disappearance in November 2016 was due to her kidnapping by “two Hispanic women.”
Sherri with her husband Keith on their wedding day. The mother of two told her ex-lover she ran away because Keith was abusing her
But the second, on December 20, saw her raise concerns with supervisor Maira DeLaTorre Rojo about the watches the children were wearing after the session ended – accusing her ex-husband Keith of having them secretly recorded their visit.
The report said: “NCP (Papini) stated that when Violet showed him the watch was recording, but repeatedly stated that it did not bother her.
“VS (Maira) said we would review the tapes and ask the children to take off their watches before visits…
“As she (Papini) was leaving, she told the manager, ‘Keith has programmed the watch to record the visit.’
“The director said we don’t know if it was recorded or not and who could have done this, it could have been the child.”
The new filings come against the backdrop of Papini and Keith’s ongoing legal battle over visitation rights to his children – a matter still ongoing with a settlement conference scheduled for the end of the month.
However, his divorce has now been finalized and Papini has been denied a 50% share of the insurance payout he received following the Fawn Fire which burned large swathes of County Shasta – including Redding – in October 2021, and only handed over $10,000 instead.
Papini had also hoped to force Keith to pay a bill for more than $3,000 racked up on a BestBuy credit card – but he received half of it.
Police went to great lengths to find Sherri when she went missing in 2016 thanks to an extensive flyer campaign. She was arrested for fraud and lying to law enforcement in March 2022.
Court documents seen by DailyMail.com show Keith had complained about the August 2022 madness – claiming she had no way of paying her back and it was done on a card he got for her in an attempt to improve her credit score.
A statement included in court documents shows she racked up a $571.72 bill on an AirBNB in Montague, Calif., splurged $254.79 at a local Walmart branch and paid two bills for $149.08 and $218.53 at a Kohl’s location in Chico.
Her ex-boyfriend James Reyes told police that Papini self-inflicted injuries while staying with him, including hitting himself to create bruises and burning his arms.
She also made several payments to Amazon, including for Prime membership, spent $933 on legal fees and shelled out $161.15 at upscale Northern California grocery store Raley’s.
The filing demanding repayment and written by the attorneys acting for Keith adds: “By the time these bills come due, Sherri will be safely protected from evil debt collectors by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
“This is who Sherri Papini is – Sherri comes first, consideration of others second, if at all, and truth, integrity and morality are of no consequence.”
According to court documents seen by DailyMail.com, the mother of two – who uses her parents’ isolated Shingletown home as her official address – now works as a writer, telling her daughter she is writing two books in an effort to reach both ends.
A report detailing a Jan. 17 custody visit with her daughter Violet reveals that Papini said she was creating a foundation for families in similar situations while also writing the books in response to a question from the child.
She said: “Mum is also an author now. She writes two books. I work a lot of hours writing chapters.
“So when I tell you I’m working remotely, that means I’m at home writing chapters on my laptop.”
Like his ex-wife, Keith is also unemployed, but he has access to assets such as the large Redding house that Papini has gone missing and which he rents from his father.
Keith, who previously worked as a member of the BestBuy Geek Squad, filed for divorce shortly after Papini’s arrest in front of their children in March 2022.
He had believed Papini’s story – that her three-week disappearance in November 2016 was due to her kidnapping by “two Hispanic women” – and repeatedly appeared on television while she was away begging her to come home at home.
In reality, as DailyMail.com revealed at the time, the mother-of-two had disappeared to be with ex-boyfriend James Reyes in Costa Mesa – later enlisting him to help her create the bruises and the mark she showed as proof that her great story was true.
Upon returning home, Papini continued to lie to Keith and her two children, but was eventually forced to admit it was all a hoax after her arrest.
Keith filed for divorce immediately afterward and told the court he wanted sole custody of his children — writing in an October 2022 filing that he had been “victimized” by his wife.
He said: “On April 11, 2022, I learned that my children and I had been victims, that my wife was a skilled liar, an accomplished thief, a manipulator of others with no empathy for their pain and loss.