Papini, 39, made the statement through her lawyer, William Portanova, as first reported by The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday. As previously reported by CNN, Papini was ignored by her husband in November 2016, after she had gone jogging near her home in Shasta County. Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving, she found herself alone on a transnational highway 140 miles from home. She told police she was abducted and marked by two women who kept her chained to a closet. She gave a complicated story of her abduction and treatment at the hands of the alleged perpetrators, who she said wore masks, spoke Spanish, held her at gunpoint and marked her with a heated tool. However, according to the Department of Justice, Papini actually stayed with an ex-boyfriend in Southern California during the three weeks he allegedly went missing and received more than $ 30,000 in fraudulent aid to victims based on the hoax, show court documents. “We are being charged with making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer and of mail fraud.” We are moving this case in a whole new direction, “Portanova, a former federal prosecutor, told The Sacramento Bee. “Everything that happened before today stops today.” Papini’s agreement was handed over to the US Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, Portanova’s office confirmed to CNN. CNN has contacted prosecutors for details and a timetable for Papini’s case. CNN’s Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this story.
