03-06-2025
Kidnapping hoaxer Sherri Papini fighting eviction from home owned by her ex-boyfriend
Shasta County's Sherri Papini, widely known as a notorious kidnapping hoaxer, is being evicted from her home in Shingletown by an ex-boyfriend.
Papini claims she made an agreement to purchase property on Woodridge Drive in Shingletown, but since she ended her relationship with Shawn Hibdon of Orland, that deal has fallen through and he wants her out of the house, according to court documents that name Papini and Hibdon.
Hibdon sent Papini a letter on Jan. 5 notifying her she had 30 days to move off the premises, but Papini continues to fight the eviction, and claims Hibdon has harassed and threatened her.
Papini gained worldwide attention in 2016 when she went missing for 22 days after she was abducted while out on a jog near her home just north of Redding. She was found along a remote road in Yolo County on Thanksgiving Day, bruised and branded.
Her story unraveled in March 2022, when the FBI arrested Papini and she admitted to faking her kidnapping and inflicting the injuries to herself. She later admitted to being voluntarily in Costa Mesa, California, with an ex-boyfriend the entire time.
In a new docuseries, Papini continues to claim she was abducted in 2016, but now she says she was held against her will by the former boyfriend. She now says in the documentary the narrative that she was kidnapped Nov. 2, 2016 by two Hispanic women is a lie manufactured by the media.
Her claims in the documentary differ sharply from the tearful statements she made in court during her sentencing in September 2022 on charges of mail fraud and lying to the FBI.
"I am guilty of lying, I am guilty of dishonor. I trust in this court ... and I trust in you," Papini said to the judge. "What was done cannot be undone. I am choosing to humbly accept all responsibility."
During the court proceeding, Judge William Shubb called Papini a "skillful liar and a manipulator."
'If she had not been caught, she'd still be living the lie," Shubb said. "She'd still be telling everybody how she was kidnapped and she'd still be taking the money that people were contributing to," he said.
Papini pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. She also agreed to pay $309,686.33 in restitution. The total included $30,694.15 to the California Victim Compensation Board; $127,783.50 to the Social Security Administration for benefits paid to her; $148,866.23 to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office for the cost of investigating the case; and $2,558.35 to the FBI.
In addition to her financial obligations related to her criminal conviction, Papini is fighting eviction from the house she said she has lived in since January 2023.
In a declaration filed in the eviction case, Papini says Hibdon is using the eviction as an opportunity to publicly shame her.
"The plaintiff (Hibdon) has made threats both implied and explicit ― that unless I purchase the home under specific, unfavorable terms, I will be evicted, publicly humiliated or face further harm to my personal financial well-being," she wrote in the declaration.
Neither Papini, Hibdon or their attorneys responded to messages left with them asking for comment.
It isn't clear if Papini is still living at the Shingletown home, but Hibdon's lawyer indicated in court papers that fair rent on the property was $115 a day, or about $3,450 a month.
Before she pleaded guilty to the federal charges, her ex-husband's mother loaned Papini $50,000 to help pay for a criminal defense attorney. The loan was supposed to be repaid, but Kathleen Papini of Redding filed a lawsuit in Shasta County Superior Court in September 2024, claiming Sherri Papini has not lived up to the terms of the loan.
A default judgment for $53,701 was filed against Sherri Papini on May 2. It isn't clear whether Kathleen Papini has collected any of that money.
After she pleaded guilty to federal charges, Sherri Papini's husband, Keith Papini, filed for divorce from his wife and was granted custody of their two children.
Sherri Papini is also due in court this week as she seeks a temporary restraining order against a woman who claims on a GoFundMe account that her husband left her for Sherri Papini. The woman, Katherine Parrick, said she was left homeless after her husband left her.
As of Monday, Parrick had raised $1,315 toward a goal of $3,500, according to her GoFundMe account.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Kidnapping hoaxer Sherri Papini fights eviction filed by ex-boyfriend
