Kidnapping scammer Sherri Papini was back in a California court this week and she and her husband were arguing about finances while trying to finalize their divorce.
The 41-year-old made national headlines in 2016 after she faked her own kidnapping to be with her former lover, while claiming her then-husband, Keith Papini, 39, had been abusive.
Keith filed for divorce in April 2022, days after Sherri pleaded guilty to the hoax. He demanded full custody of the couple’s two children.
During this week’s courtroom drama, Sherri looked solemn as she wiped tears from her eyes as she and her ex sparred over finances, including insurance money paid for home repairs and a $3,200 Best Buy bill, swallowed up by Sherri, who reportedly went on a trip. spending spree in August 2022.
Sherri also took the witness stand and invoked the Fifth Amendment when asked about her own finances.
Her appearances come a week after she skipped a court hearing and Keith claimed her legal team is refusing to talk to him.
Sherri Papini and her estranged husband Keith were in court in California this week as they argued over finances as part of their divorce case
Sherri wiped tears from her eyes as she discussed finances with her husband as both sat in the courtroom
Keith – with whom she shares children Tyler, 11, and Violet, 9 – filed for divorce in April 2022 and is seeking to retain sole custody after officially completing her prison sentence at the end of September
Last month, Sherri skipped her first scheduled hearing, set for October 10. Her estranged husband claims her legal team refuses to talk to him.
The couple, who were married for 13 years, have two children, Tyler, 11, and Violet, 9.
In November 2016, Sherri disappeared for 22 days while Keith worried about her disappearance and advocated for her safe return.
He said at the time: ‘I’m going to do everything I can to find my wife.’
When Sherri finally surfaced on Thanksgiving Day, nearly 150 miles from her home, she claimed she had been kidnapped and tortured by “two Spanish women.”
Keith reportedly believed his wife’s story.
DailyMail.com revealed at the time that the mother-of-two had disappeared to be with ex-boyfriend James Reyes in Costa Mesa, California – and later enlisted him to help create the bruises and branding she showed as proof that her tall tale was TRUE.
Sherri was eventually arrested for the hoax and placed in a low-security women’s camp, FCI Victorville, 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles. She received a settlement after confessing to the hoax.
Days after his wife’s hospitalization, Keith filed for divorce and requested custody of the couple’s two children.
Sherri was seen happily jumping out of an Oakland halfway house on September 29 after officially serving her sentence
Sherri was eventually arrested for the hoax and placed in a low-security women’s camp, FCI Victorville, 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles. After being sentenced to eighteen months, she was released at the end of September, eight months earlier
After being sentenced to eighteen months in prison, she was released at the end of September, eight months earlier. She was also ordered to pay a $300,000 fine, according to Inside edition.
The case has been described as the real-life ‘Gone Girl’, based on the book and film with a similar plot.
Some of the finances the couple argued about included an unpaid credit card bill and Sherri’s bid for a portion of the insurance payout he received after the Fawn Fire that scorched large parts of Shasta County — including Redding — in October 2021.
According to Keith, Sherri spent $3,238.10 over 15 days in August 2022 without being able to pay it back on a card he got for her to try to boost her credit score.
The police and the world were looking for Sherri when she went missing in 2016. She was arrested in March 2022 on charges of fraud and lying to police.
Sherri with her husband Keith on their wedding day. The mother-of-two told her ex-lover she had to walk away because Keith abused her
An affidavit in court papers shows she racked up a $571.72 bill at an Airbnb in Montague, California, a $254.79 splurge at a local Walmart branch and two $149.08 bills and Paid $218.53 at a Kohl’s branch in Chico.
In addition, the charges include multiple payments she made to Amazon, including for Prime membership, $933 in legal fees and $161.15 spent at luxury supermarket Raley’s in Northern California.
At one point, Sherri was seen wiping tears from her eyes as she talked about wanting her share of the money she made as a couple. But Keith claims it was spent on living expenses and a $500-a-month allowance for his mother while they lived with her.
Sherri said she knew nothing about the payment, and that Keith’s control of the money left her with nothing.
During the hearing, Sherri took the stand and repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment when asked about her own finances. She also narrated how she paid her share of the family expenses before claiming she was kidnapped. ABC news reported.
Since her release, Papini has moved to a small community called Red Bluff, about 30 miles from her family home, to start over.
A judge granted Keith temporary custody of their two children as their divorce proceeds through the courts.