She told police she had been abducted and beaten; I would have found everything

(CNN) – When he was discovered in 2016 after a three-week search, a Northern California woman told police. Was abducted And marked by two women chained to a shelf.

She gave a detailed story of her alleged abduction, and details of the attackers who allegedly wore masks, spoke Spanish and held her at gunpoint.

Now, Sherry Babini, 39, has been arrested and charged with making false statements and mail fraud to the federal law enforcement agency, the judiciary said in a statement. Press release.

Babini was arrested Thursday. CNN is still trying to determine if he is represented by a lawyer.

“When a young mother went missing in broad daylight, the community was filled with fear and anxiety,” said U.S. Attorney Philip A. Dolbert said in a statement. “Countless hours were spent trying to bring this woman back to her family. Three weeks later, she was found 140 miles south of where she went missing and the focus turned from trying to find her.

“In the end, there was no kidnapping in the trial and the time and resources that could have been used to investigate the real crime, protect the community and provide resources to the victims were wasted based on the defendant’s behavior.”

The husband has complained that he is missing.

Babini’s husband, Keith Babini, complained on November 2, 2016 that he went missing after failing to pick up his children from day care. He was last seen running near his home in Shasta County.

Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day, she was found alone on Interstate 5, 140 miles from her home.

According to his account, police were looking for two Hispanic women who matched Bobbini’s description. But according to prosecutors, investigators eventually discovered that Babini had created it. They say Bobbini voluntarily stayed with her ex-boyfriend when she was reported missing and inflicted injuries on herself in support of her lies.

The DNA evidence eventually led them to their ex-boyfriend, according to a news release and a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors in U.S. District Court.

In August 2020, during an interview with federal and local investigators, Bobbini was advised that “lying to federal agents is a crime”, the news release said.

“Evidence has been submitted to her that she was not abducted. Instead of retracting his abduction story, Babini continued to make false statements about the abductors who allegedly kidnapped him. “

In addition, Bobbini received more than $ 35,000 in 35 payments from the California Victims Compensation Board. The money covered the costs, including an ambulance that visited her therapist and took her to the hospital after she reappeared.

Babini faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $ 250,000 if convicted of making false statements, and a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to $ 250,000 if convicted of postal fraud.