Carlee Russell, the 26-year-old nursing student who made headlines for faking her abduction, was found guilty of orchestrating the hoax Wednesday.
In a municipal court hearing on Wednesday, Judge Brad Bishop convicted Russell of filing a false police report and falsely reporting the incident. Russell had initially reported seeing a child walking along I-459 before her disappearance on July 13. Two days later, on July 15, she returned to her Hoover home on foot and informed the police that she had been abducted.
Nonetheless, following an extensive investigation by the police, Russell ultimately confessed to fabricating the entire incident.
Wednesday, Judge Bishop ordered Russell to pay $831 for each misdemeanor charge, in addition to more than $17,000 in restitution. She also faces up to a year in jail.
Russell, who maintained her not guilty plea throughout the case, intends to appeal the verdict to the circuit court.
