James Grissom spent 10 years behind bars, falsely accused of rape. Now, the accuser is going to jail for making a series of false accusations. INSIDE EDITION reports.
This woman claimed she was brutally raped. So, why is she the one in handcuffs?
Fifty-four-year-old James Grissom spent ten years in prison for raping mother of two, Sara Ylen in 2001. He had a criminal record and she identified his photo from police files.
"She's a sadistic evil woman," said Grissom. "I never saw this lady before in my life. I didn't even know what she looked like until they took me in the courtroom for my trial and she got up on the stand to testify."
Sara Ylen wrote about her experience as an alleged rape victim in an inspirational book, Treasures Of Darkness calling Grissom "the man who destroyed...my life."
She even compared herself to TV's Xena, The Warior Princess for courageously "reliving every grisly, lurid detail" of the attack at his trial.
Thirty-eight-year-old Sara's story was also featured on Captured on the Oxygen network.
But prosecutors say Sara's story of rape was a lie. While her convicted attacker was serving time in prison, authorities say they discovered Sara had made numerous false rape accusations against as many as nine other men. She also falsely claimed to be suffering from terminal cancer and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical services.
Prosecutors say she falsified medical records, including X-rays to show she had bone marrow cancer. She actually underwent chemotherapy. And well-wishers raised $10,000 for her medical bills.
Grissom was exonerated and released after a decade behind bars and the rape charges were dropped.
"I figured I'd die in prison," he said.
So why would she tell so many outrageous lies? Psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz told INSIDE EDITION, "There are people who feel that they are victims, and need to be victims and need to be put up on a pedestal as suffering but soldiering through."
Watch More of Dr. Saltz's Interview
Sara Ylen was charged with making a false report of a felony and tampering with evidence.
James Grissom was watching in court in Port Huron, Michigan, as she was found guilty. But he says watching Sara Ylen being led to jail in handcuffs won't bring back his lost ten years.
"She just totally destroyed my life," said Grissom.
