Kidnapping faker Sherri Papini seen kissing new businessman boyfriend ahead of Hulu documentary - as it's revealed she's now living in new $755k California home he owns

The California 'supermom' who faked her own abduction has been enjoying a secret romance with a recently widowed businessman who has splashed out $755,000 on a luxury home for her to live in.

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Sherri Papini, 41, locked in an embrace with her auto dealer boyfriend Shawn Hibdon, 49, following an amorous encounter in the backseat of her white Jeep SUV in a Starbucks parking lot in Orland, California, on Monday.

Kidnap hoaxer Papini is the subject of new Hulu documentary that revisits her case.

The seedy  make out session came shortly after she appeared in court professing to be the perfect mother while fighting for increased access to the two children she abandoned during her three-week November 2016 disappearance.

Papini, now a convicted felon after being exposed as a fraudster who made up the story of her 2016 abduction by two Hispanic women in April 2022, arrived at the rendezvous still dressed in her court outfit consisting of a black blazer and leggings.

After an hour in the car with Hibdon, who arrived separately in a gray Hyundai with distinctive dealer plates, she emerged giggling and dressed in a pink tank and flashy tie-dye leggings.

The pair then enjoyed a smooch – having first checked the parking lot to make sure no one was watching – before leaving in different cars.

Hibdon has been single since losing his wife Brittany unexpectedly at the age of 36 in September 2021 and is a single father to their two sons Houston, 16, and Westley, 14.

Meanwhile, Papini's marriage imploded following her March 2022 arrest for fraud with her ex-husband Keith, 40, handed sole custody of their children.

A source told DailyMail.com the relationship began prior to her 10-month stretch at FCI Victorville, with the pair meeting in Chico – a town located an hour south of Papini's former home in Redding.

Papini briefly lived in the area after being thrown out by her ex following her arrest. Her sister Sheila also resides in the town.

Last September, besotted Hibdon was seen driving the white pickup truck bearing a distinctive Hibdon Auto Center dealer plate that picked her up from an Oakland halfway house and purchased the petite blonde a spacious home of her own in January.

Records seen by DailyMail.com show the four-bedroom property in Shingletown, California, was bought by the Orland-based businessman via a limited liability company named 33 TEN Properties LLC, which was incorporated in September 2023.

The filing with the California Secretary of State shows the business was set up to make 'property investments for rent' and it was listed as the owner of Papini's home by the Shasta County recorder of deeds following the purchase earlier this year.

Despite Hibdon's lavish outlay on the mom-of-two, the relationship has been conducted under a veil of secrecy with Papini making no mention of who paid for her new house in family court documents and instead saying she rents the property for $500-a-month.

According to Zillow, the market rent for the custom-finished property, which sits on a private three-acre lot, would be more than six times what Papini claims to be paying at $3,294 per month.

The property has also come to the attention of the federal authorities who applied for a writ to seize the home in March in an effort to recoup the $340,000 fine that was handed to the convicted fraudster along with the jail term.

That case is still active, although papers filed in the separate custody case show Papini has since made a $100 payment towards clearing the huge debt.

Prior to the tryst, Papini had made an appearance in court where she exchanged frosty glances with ex-husband Keith who is opposing her demand to be granted further access to their children.

But the cloak and dagger antics didn't stop at Starbucks: intent on hiding her brand-new Jeep from Keith, the mom-of-two left it in the lot belonging to her lawyer Chase Kinney before hitching a ride with her for the short journey from the office to court.

Although the Jeep could not be seen outside the lavish Shingletown home Papini lives in when DailyMail.com visited last week, the gray Hyundai driven by Hibdon to the romantic rendezvous was briefly seen parked on the driveway.

Hibdon is a prominent man in the Northern California town of Orland where he owns a successful car dealership that he previously ran with his wife.

According to an obituary for Hibdon's deeply religious spouse Brittany, the mom-of-two died 'unexpectedly' in September 2021, leaving behind sons Houston and Westley.

It goes on to describe how she was known for her 'encouraging and uplifting' social media posts and for her healthy lifestyle, while noting that she was heavily involved in the local community and charity projects.

The obituary for the pretty blonde concludes: 'The hashtags on her Facebook profile sum it up well - #BrittanyForThePeople, and #BoyMom.

'Her impact on this world cannot be understated, nor can our love for her.'

The new twist in the long-running saga comes ahead of a new Hulu documentary about the case and features a lengthy interview with Papini's ex-husband Keith.

Called 'Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini' , the three-part series is released on June 20 and details Keith's battle to uncover the truth about Papini's disappearing act.

While he was making emotional appeals for her return and huge search parties were fanning out across Shasta County , Papini was actually holed up at the home of ex-boyfriend James Reyes in Costa Mesa, California – almost 600 miles south of her Redding home.

In his petition for divorce, a devastated Keith said he and his children had been 'victimized' and described his ex-wife as a liar and a thief.

'On April 11 2022, I learned that I and my children had been victimized,' he wrote. '[And] that my wife was a skilled liar, an accomplished thief, a manipulator of others without empathy for their pain and loss.'

Keith was subsequently awarded the couple's home and full custody of their children in the divorce, as well as the lion's share of the couple's possessions.

Papini had hoped to get a 50 percent share of the insurance payout he received following the Fawn Fire which scorched large swathes of Shasta County – including Redding – in October 2021 but received just $10,000.

She suffered a second blow after attempting to force Keith to pony up more than $3,000 to pay off a bill she had racked up on a BestBuy credit card but was ordered to pay half herself.