A Michigan woman caught lying about black men raping her in a college parking lot will only get 45 days in jail for the false accusation.

The woman, 21-year-old Mary Zolkowski, pleaded guilty to falsely reporting the felony in March. Typically, the felony charge would warrant four years behind bars and a fine of $2,000, but Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran decided to take it easy on her by sentencing her on Monday, June 18, to 45 days in jail, probation for two years, a mental health assessment and an additional 220 days in prison if she violates her probation, per a report from MLive.

In February, Zolkowski told her mother a black man raped her in a student parking lot at Delta College. She provided no further details.

“I called Delta College and falsely reported the rape on their campus,” Zolkowski told the judge in March. “My mother made the initial call, and I took the phone and continued to report.”

USA Today reports Delta College police launched an investigation into the matter but were unable to verify her story. At the time of the supposed rape, a parolee with sexual assault convictions was on campus but denied having any connection to the false attack. He had to take and passed a polygraph test to prove his innocence.

The investigation began to fall apart piece by piece as Zolkowski's story changed. She was reportedly unwilling to cooperate with the investigation or take a physical exam.

“I was assaulted previously, not at Delta’s campus,” Zolkowski said. “And because I was ashamed of circumstances of that, when my mother called, I vented through Delta, which was very wrong of me. I should have been truthful from the very beginning, and I used Delta.”

If Zolkowski did not confess to lying about the rape, police might still be looking for an innocent black man.

Mary Zolkowski

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