California woman arrested on suspicion of faking 2016 kidnapping that caught national attention

Sherri Papini, whose alleged kidnapping and reappearance three weeks later made national headlines in 2016, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of lying to the FBI, federal prosecutors said.

Federal law enforcement officials allege that the entire incident was a hoax, according to a release from the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento, California. Papini, 39, faces charges of making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer and engaging in mail fraud.

Papini while she was out for a jog in the