Alabama Woman Who Faked Kidnapping Pleads Guilty to False Reporting
Published on March 22, 2024
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—An Alabama woman who claimed she was abducted after stopping her car to check on a wandering toddler pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges of giving false information to law enforcement. News outlets reported that Carlee Russell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. She was given a suspended six-month sentence which will allow her to avoid jail. She was ordered to pay more than $17,000 restitution. Her two-day disappearance, and her story of being abducted alongside an interstate highway, captivated the nation before police called her story a hoax. Russell, accompanied to court by her family and defense lawyers, apologized for her actions....