(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A Northern California woman who pleaded guilty to orchestrating an elaborate hoax about being kidnapped and even seared with a branding iron by her abductors is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
Sherri Papini, 40, is facing a sentence of eight months when she appears in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.
Federal prosecutors are requesting U.S. District Judge William Shubb order Papini, a mother of two, to serve her sentence in prison. Prosecutors noted in court documents that she continued her fake abduction scheme long after she resurfaced in her hometown of Redding, California, in 2016 and fraudulently amassed more than $300,000 in Social Security disability income, assistance from the California Victim Compensation Board and through a GoFundMe campaign created on her behalf.
“A lesser sentence, such as the one-month imprisonment recommended by probation or home detention in lieu of incarceration, is not sufficient to achieve the purpose of sentencing,” prosecutors said in a motion filed last week.
Defense attorneys are asking Shubb for mercy, requesting she be allowed to do most of her time under house arrest.
Papini pleaded guilty on April 18 to two counts of engaging in mail fraud and making false statements that were part of a 35-count indictment. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors agreed to a sentence at the lower end of federal sentencing guidelines.
Papini vanished on Nov. 2, 2016, while out for a jog in her Redding neighborhood. A massive search was launched for her and family members — including her husband, who has since filed for divorce — pleaded with the public for information on her whereabouts.
On Thanksgiving Day 2016, Papini, who is white, resurfaced in Redding, telling investigators, including FBI agents, that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint by two Hispanic women, who tortured her and branded her, authorities said.
But prosecutors said the whole time Papini was missing, she was with an ex-boyfriend in Southern California and that the injuries she displayed, including the brand on her shoulder, were self-inflicted.
“Over the next four-plus years, Papini repeated a detailed false story about two Hispanic women taking her at gunpoint and inflicting abuse upon her while holding her against her will. Papini’s kidnapping hoax was deliberate, well-planned and sophisticated,” prosecutors said in court filings, adding that prior to staging the abduction she communicated with her ex-boyfriend using prepaid cellphones.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Veronica Alegria and Shelley Weger wrote in court papers that “the nation is watching the outcome of Papini’s sentencing hearing.”
“The public needs to know that there will be more than a slap on the wrist for committing financial fraud and making false statements to law enforcement, particularly when those false statements result in the expenditure of substantial resources and implicate innocent people,” the prosecutors wrote.
(RENO, Nev.) — One person is dead following a single-engine plane crash behind a residential area during the Reno Air Races in Nevada on Sunday, the racing association’s CEO said.
Frederick Telling, CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association, said during a press conference that the pilot was killed in the crash. The pilot’s name was not released.
The Aero L-29 Delfín crashed in Reno around 3:45 p.m. local time while participating in the air races, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate,” the administration said. “The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates.”
The Reno Air Racing Association confirmed the fatality in a statement posted on Twitter.
“All other pilots landed safely and race operations for 2022 have been suspended,” it said. “We express our deepest sympathies to the pilot’s family and friends, as well as racers and race fans who make up our September family.”
The association, a nonprofit group that organizes the STIHL National Championship Air Races, according to its website, previously wrote on Twitter that it was “confirming details of the incident that happened today during the Jet Gold Race.”
“We can confirm that only one plane was involved. The National Championship Air Races has suspended all operations for the 2022 event,” it added.
The Reno Air Races began Wednesday and were scheduled to go through Sunday.
(SAN JUAN) — The entire island of Puerto Rico lost power just before Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Sunday afternoon, according to officials.
More than 1.5 million customers are without electricity as the Category 1 storm, with sustained winds at 85 mph and torrential rain bear down on the island, Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced on Facebook Sunday afternoon.
Fiona strengthened to a hurricane from a tropical storm Sunday morning. Emergency response teams for the utility companies will deploy once the conditions allow, Pierluisi said.
The National Hurricane Center said Fiona made landfall in southwestern Puerto Rico at 3:20 p.m. ET. Widespread torrential rain has been hitting much of the island and is expected to continue for several hours. Flash flood effects are in place across the eastern half of the island.
Pierluisi believes Puerto Rico is prepared as it can be, with enough resources and manpower in place to respond, he told ABC News earlier in the day — adding that the island learned its lessons from the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria in September 2017.
“We’re much in a much better position than we were five years ago,” he said.
Hurricane warnings will remain in place for Puerto Rico and the easternmost points of the Dominican Republic throughout Sunday. Tremendous rainfall is forecast, with much of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic expected to receive up to 10 inches. Some localized regions in Puerto Rico could get up to 20 inches.
While still a tropical storm, the system battered the Caribbean islands. One person died in the French territory of Guadeloupe, according to The Associated Press. More than 20 others were rescued amid heavy wind and rain according to the AP.
The island’s emergency management office in Puerto Rico even had a blackout during its Saturday morning press conference. Pierluisi reiterated during that press briefing Saturday evening that the fear is that heavy rains will produce mudslides.
After passing through the Caribbean, the storm system will head northward, passing just east of Turks and Caicos before tracking near Bermuda, forecasts show.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico on Sunday, which allows federal agencies to coordinate all relief efforts.
Biden’s decision has the “purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 78 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,” the White House said in a statement.
At least 101 people are in 79 shelters across Puerto Rico, with the expectation that the figure will go up, officials said.
The storm continues to move west-northwest at about 9 mph, with sustained winds of 60 mph as of Saturday evening.
Fiona’s center moved through the island of Guadeloupe on Friday night, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds across the Leeward Islands.
Sustained winds of 45 to 60 mph are expected for parts of southwest Puerto Rico and St. Croix Sunday night with gusts as high as 85 mph.
Rain and gusty winds will continue for Puerto Rico through Monday morning before conditions taper off in the afternoon, officials said.
The worst conditions in the Dominican Republic are expected late Sunday morning.
The rain has already saturated areas in the southeastern part of Puerto Rico, along with the mountainous areas, where potential mudslides and winds could cause the most damage.
“We shouldn’t underestimate this storm,” Pierluisi said in a briefing Saturday.
Resident Magda Diaz told ABC News outside a San Juan Walmart that she expects to be without power. Diaz said she loses power regularly, especially during smaller storms, and was recently in the dark for three days.
A LUMA Energy official told ABC News on Saturday that the company has been fixing the grid and is ready to get the grid back online if the system fails. LUMA Energy is in charge of the transmission and distribution of electricity on the island.
“We were expecting power outages from Fiona … and we’re bringing in 100 more workers from our parent companies that will be landing Sunday,” LUMA official Don Cortez said.
LUMA Energy’s Crisis Management Manager Abner Gomez told reporters the energy distributor is working to prevent a repeat of Hurricane Maria’s aftermath.
“We are going to make sure [a widespread outage] will not happen because we have the crews,” he said. “There will be damage. There will be outages and we will be ready to respond.”
(MIAMI) — A woman has been arrested and charged with attempted first degree murder after allegedly stabbing her roommates multiple times when she became infuriated over being asked to leave their home.
The incident occurred on Friday at approximately 8:03 a.m. when deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida received a call from one of the stabbing victims telling them that he had been stabbed.
The victim identified the alleged suspect as 30-year-old Christina Adams, a woman he shared his home with along with one other person who she had also reportedly attacked, according to the sheriff’s office.
Following the call, deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office were able to locate Adams driving not far from the location of the attack. She was detained and interviewed by detectives but initially denied any involvement in the incident, authorities said.
“[Adams] later told detectives that she was angry over being asked to leave the home that she shared with the victims. Adams stated she retrieved a large knife and then attacked both victims, stabbing them multiple times,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Adams stated after she believed the victims were deceased, she attempted to destroy evidence and then left the location. Adams told detectives that following the attack, she changed her clothing and went shopping.”
Adams has been charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder and tampering with evidence. She is being held in the Marion County Jail with no bond. It is unclear if she has obtained legal representation.
“These senseless acts of violence are shocking to all of us,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said in a statement. “I’m very proud of my deputies and detectives that worked so quickly to not only provide aid to the victims but, also to capture such an evil person and ensure that our streets are safe.”
(BOULDER COUNTY, Colo) — Three people are confirmed dead after two small aircraft collided mid-air in Colorado Saturday, authorities said.
Multiple 911 callers reported seeing two planes collide over Boulder County shortly before 9 a.m. local time, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said.
The aircraft collided and crashed near Vance Brand Airport in Longmont at 8:50 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The collision involved a single-engine Cessna 172 and a Sonex Xenos aircraft, a type of motor glider, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
NTSB investigating the Sept. 17, mid-air collision of a Cessna 172 with a Sonex Xenos aircraft near Longmont, Colorado.
First responders found two separate crash sites near Niwot Road, the sheriff’s office said.
Two people were on board the Cessna 172, the FAA said. The sheriff’s office also said it confirmed two people were on board the plane, both of whom were found dead at the scene.
The sheriff’s office said at this time one person was confirmed to be in the aircraft, who was also found dead at the scene. The FAA said it is unknown how many people were on board the second aircraft.
The victims have yet to be identified, the sheriff’s office said. Once identified, their names will be released pending next-of-kin notification.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause of the crash.
The roads near the crash sites will be closed amid the investigation, according to the Mount View Fire Department, which asked people to avoid the area.
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Fiona is headed for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after battering the Caribbean Islands.
As of Saturday afternoon, over 45,000 customers were already without power. The island’s emergency management office even had a blackout during its Saturday morning press conference.
Hurricane watches and a flood watch have been issued for Puerto Rico. A flood watch is also in place for the U.S. Virgin Islands and the eastern side of the Dominican Republic.
The storm continues to move west at 13 miles per hour.
Fiona’s center moved through the island of Guadeloupe on Friday night, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds across the Leeward Islands.
Six to 10 inches of rain are expected for much of Puerto Rico, with the heaviest rainfall occurring overnight Saturday as Fiona passes to the south.
Sustained winds of 45 to 60 miles per hour are expected for parts of southwest Puerto Rico and St. Croix Sunday night with gusts as high as 85 miles per hour.
Rain and wind pick up after sunset Saturday in Puerto Rico, with the worst conditions lasting through Sunday afternoon. Rain and gusty winds will continue for Puerto Rico through Monday morning before conditions taper off in the afternoon.
The worst conditions in the Dominican Republic are expected late Sunday morning.
It is still uncertain which track Fiona will take after leaving the Caribbean. It is expected to become a category 1 hurricane by Tuesday evening. While most models indicate it will head toward sea, some suggest it will meander near the East Coast into the later part of next week.
The rain has already saturated areas in the southeastern part of Puerto Rico, along with the mountainous areas, where potential mudslides and winds could cause the most damage.
“We shouldn’t underestimate this storm,” Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said in a briefing Saturday.
Resident Magda Diaz told ABC News outside a San Juan Walmart that she expects to be without power. Diaz said she loses power regularly, especially during smaller storms, and was recently in the dark for three days.
A LUMA Energy official told ABC News Saturday the company has been fixing the grid and is ready to get the grid back online if the system fails. LUMA Energy is in charge of transmission and distribution of electricity on the island.
“We were expecting power outages from Fiona … and we’re bringing in 100 more workers from our parent companies that will be landing Sunday,” LUMA official Don Cortez said.
(NEW YORK) — A powerful storm is bearing down on western Alaska, with historic tidal surges, damaging winds and widespread power outages expected throughout the weekend.
As is typical for fall storms in Alaska, this one was a typhoon at one point. The remnants of post-tropical typhoon Merbok are tracking northeastward through the Bering Strait.
The center of ex-typhoon Merbok is about to make its way through the Bering Strait and enter the Chukchi Sea this morning. GOES water vapor imagery from the overnight hours. #akwxpic.twitter.com/bpoMSRhQeH
Historic coastal flooding is forecast for many communities in the region Saturday into Sunday, according to Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“There hasn’t been a September storm this strong in the northern Bering Sea region in the past 70 years,” he said on Twitter.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Saturday that he has verbally declared a disaster for communities impacted by the storm.
“We will continue to monitor the storm and update Alaskans as much as possible,” he said on Twitter, noting that the state has not received any reports of injuries at this time.
The National Weather Service has issued coastal flood warnings for much of the northwestern coast of Alaska.
In the Yukon Delta, some regions have seen high winds, floods and power outages. Footage out of Hooper Bay shows homes floating off foundations.
“Significant” coastal flooding is also forecast for the Seward Peninsula, where a number of remote communities are already threatened by erosion. Water levels are expected to be as high as 18 feet above the normal high tide line in the communities of Elim and Koyuk, near Nome.
“Major” flooding has been reported in the region in Golovin, the National Weather Service said Saturday.
“The highest water levels not expected until this afternoon, flooding will get worse,” it said. “Water is surrounding the school, homes and structures are flooded, at least a couple homes floating off the foundation, some older fuel tanks are tilted over.”
Across the bay in Shaktoolik, south of the Seward Peninsula, residents have evacuated to the local school and clinic as “significant waves” have started to break and are getting close to homes, the National Weather Service said Saturday.
Peak levels in and around Nome are expected Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning, the National Weather Service warned. Many roads are likely to close and homes, businesses and local airports “inundated,” it said.
High wind warnings also are in effect into Saturday evening, with some regions in the Yukon Delta and Bering Straight Coast expected to see hurricane-force wind gusts of up to 90 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Widespread power outages are expected.
(NEW YORK) — A disgruntled man upset about Merriam-Webster dictionary’s update to their definitions of gender pronouns and adjectives to make them more fluid has pleaded guilty in a federal court to making bomb threats and for threatening to kill the company’s employees in a mass shooting.
The U.S. Attorney’s in the District of Massachusetts alleges that Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, CA, anonymously sent “various threatening messages and comments demonstrating bias against specific gender identities submitted through its website’s ‘Contact Us’ page and in the comments section on its webpages that corresponded to the word entries for ‘Girl’ and ‘Woman,’” between the dates of Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021. Authorities later identified the user as Hanson.
“Specifically, on Oct. 2, 2021, Hanson used the handle ‘@anonYmous’ to post the following comment on the dictionary’s website definition of ‘female:’ ‘It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda. There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot,’” authorities said in the statement.
A short time later, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Hanson sent them another message, this time via the “Contact Us” page on their website.
“You [sic] headquarters should be shot up and bombed. It is sickening that you have caved to the cultural Marxist, anti-science … agenda and altered the definition of ‘female’ as part of the Left’s efforts to corrupt and degrade the English language and deny reality,” the second online threat read in part. “It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place.”
A third threat was sent to Merriam-Webster as a comment on their website on Oct. 8, 2021 which read: “I am going to shoot up and bomb your offices for lying and creating fake definitions,” the message said. “Boys aren’t girls, and girls aren’t boys … I will assassinate your top editor.”
Following these specific and credible threats, Merriam-Webster closed its offices in Springfield, MA, as well as in New York City for five days.
Hanson also admitted in court this week that he often selected the object of his threatening communications because of the “gender, gender identity and/or sexual orientation of various persons,” said the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Every member of our community has a right to live and exist authentically as themselves without fear. Hate motivated threats of violence that infringe upon that right are not tolerated in Massachusetts in any capacity,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “This conviction represents my office’s dedication to protecting targeted communities and bringing accountability and justice when those who aim to endanger act upon their hatred.”
Hanson pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of interstate communication of threatening communications to commit violence against the employees of Merriam-Webster, which carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, according to a statement released by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
“Jeremy Hanson is now a convicted felon after admitting to making hate-fueled threats of violence related to the LGBTQ+ community,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “If you believe you are a victim or a witness to similar conduct, we encourage you to report it to the FBI so we can hold the perpetrators behind these crimes accountable for their actions, like we did in this case.”
Hanson is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 5, 2023.
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Coast Guard has recovered almost 30,000 pounds of cocaine and marijuana, valued at more than $475 million, after seizing the drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Legare offloaded 24,700 pounds of cocaine and 3,892 pounds of marijuana at Base Miami Beach Thursday, according to a U.S. Coast Guard press release.
The drugs recovered were found in international waters, and efforts were taken by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard and the Royal Netherlands Navy to confiscate the drugs from suspected drug cartels.
“I am proud of the crew’s continued devotion to duty that made this offload possible,” said Cdr. Jeremy M. Greenwood, commanding officer of Legare. “Through the coordinated efforts of the Legare, the LEDETs, HNLMS Groningen, CGC James, and the USS Billings crews, we significantly contributed to the counter-drug mission and the dismantling of transnational criminal organizations. The drugs seized through this coordinated effort will result in significantly fewer drug-related overdoses.”
The Coast Guard said that fighting cartels and criminal organizations that traffic drugs takes a lot of unity at different phases of the process.
“From detection and monitoring to interdiction and apprehension, and on to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in districts across the nation,” the Coast Guard said. “Detecting and interdicting illegal drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination.”
Stationed in Portsmouth, Virginia, the Legare has an extremely large patch and patrols the offshore waters from Maine to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean.
The 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter’s missions include “law enforcement, search and rescue, protection of living marine resources, homeland security and defense operations, international training and humanitarian operations,” according to the statement released by the Coast Guard.
“The U.S. Navy and allied foreign ships conduct law enforcement missions under the authority of embarked Coast Guard LEDETs from Tactical Law Enforcement Teams based in Miami and San Diego,” the Coast Guard confirmed.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
Martha’s Vineyard became the latest blue state location targeted by a Republican governor who transported undocumented migrants without any planning or warning to lawmakers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took credit for flying two planes with migrants to the Massachusetts island Wednesday as social service organizations worked to get the families shelter and food. DeSantis contended that the state claims it’s a sanctuary for undocumented migrants, while the White House and local elected officials slammed him for using the families in a political stunt.
State Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents Martha’s Vineyard, spoke with ABC News’ “Start Here” to weigh in on the situation.
START HERE: Senator Cyr, can you just describe when you found out that these migrants had arrived on the island? What happened?
SEN. CYR: I received a call from the sheriff here on Martha’s Vineyard, who just an hour earlier, just after a little bit after three in the afternoon, [said] two chartered jets landed at Martha’s Vineyard Airport. There was some level of coordination. Actually, a camera crew was on site to film these migrant families who were disembarking from the plane. And these 43 [to] 44 migrants ended up at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services unannounced, essentially. There was no notification to officials on Martha’s Vineyard or relief to anyone in Massachusetts that these planes were arriving. We’ve had a tight-knit community here at Martha’s Vineyard. This is a small island of about 20,000 people. It’s rural. It’s actually a lot of working-class folks who actually live out here year-round.
The whole island scrambled with emergency management for first responders, the sheriff’s office, community services, Red Cross, [the] Salvation Army and others. [They] basically stood up a shelter to provide food and a good meal and a safe place for these folks to stay. [It was] sort of the equivalent of what we would do in a hurricane or in a nor’easter. [They] did that in a matter of hours and have been taking care of these folks since. But this was something that was completely unexpected. And we’ve since learned that this appears to be a cruel ruse.
These migrant families were manipulated into boarding these planes [with] commitments, promises were made to them, assurances of work opportunities and others that were not there. And this really sadly appears to be a stunt.
START HERE: Yeah, how [did] you end up on this island if you’re one of these migrants?
CYR: So our understanding that’s been some really good reporting on this from…WCAI, [who] spent a bunch of time speaking to migrants last night, and we’ve had conversations with them today. These mostly were Venezuelans who had crossed the border in Texas in recent months. They were in San Antonio, in a shelter in San Antonio. A woman that the migrants referred to as Perla approached them outside of the shelter and essentially recruited them with promises of traveling to this destination.
But they did not necessarily know where they’re going. Actually, one of the migrants when we were speaking with them referred to a feeling of essentially being kidnapped. And this clearly appears, especially after seeing what Gov. Ron DeSantis has put out. This appears to be a political move, capitalizing on people in difficult circumstances for sort of a gotcha moment or a political stunt.
START HERE: Yet what was your reaction to finding out that this does appear to be a deliberate plan by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said, you guys are talking about straining the system to house all these people, to feed all these people. These are the same complaints we’ve gotten. Border states like you guys are getting a small taste of what we’re dealing with. You guys have a couple dozen now. We’re dealing with thousands and thousands across the southern border.
CYR: Unfortunately, we’ve seen these fundamentally racist and xenophobic tactics before.
If this were about providing relief to border communities overwhelmed or about providing safe harbor and care to these migrants, the way that you do that is [by] reaching out in partnership to other states and localities. There was none of that outreach.
We’ve actually had experience and have really stepped up in prior years to support migrants in need. Under Gov. Deval Patrick, several years ago, Massachusetts welcomed hundreds of unaccompanied minors who were at the border in coordination with the then-Obama administration. So we’ve done this sort of work. But unfortunately, we’ve just, we’ve seen these fundamentally racist tactics before. And it actually even harkens back to the Civil Rights era.
In the 1960s, segregationists tricked 96 Southern Black families into relocating to Hyannis. Hyannis, of course, [was] close to the then-President John F. Kennedy’s home, and [it] was really an attempt by the segregationists to show Northern white liberals as hypocrites. What actually happened to those 96 families [is that] the community responded and rallied around them here on Cape Cod. They helped them find homes [and] get settled. Those families stayed here and are part of our Cape community, decades later, but it’s just really a cruel, unfortunate, discouraging and disgusting thing that has happened here in recent days.
START HERE: So what is the plan like? Are you guys planning to keep them in Martha’s Vineyard or are you taking them on? Because we’ve seen this in other cities now, like in Chicago, we just saw a lot of migrants bused up there. And immediately the governor and the mayor there actually dispersed these people, [and] bused them out of Chicago into some suburbs, which raises questions about hypocrisy. If it’s bad to shuttle migrants around, then why are you shuttling migrants around there? I mean, are they staying in Martha’s Vineyard?
CYR: So our capacity here on the island is limited. The current shelter where they’re staying is a church parish that has one bathroom [and] limited showers. This is not going to be sort of a suitable place for people to reside for too, too long.
As I said, we’ve had experience with this in the past. I expect us to see sort of dusting off that playbook and relying on, you know, the strategies and resources we used to help unaccompanied minors.
It’s probably unlikely that the current shelter is going to be able to continue for too many days more, just given the cramped quarters and the limited facilities there.
