A grand jury indicted the 32-year-old woman on one count of making a false police report, a misdemeanor, and one count of false statement, a felony. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison if she is convicted, said Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter.
"We believe this is a reasonable next step in the case. We believe the grand jury made the right decision," Porter said. A bench warrant will be issued for Wilbanks' arrest within the next few days, he added.
This indictment does not rule out a possible plea agreement to lesser charges, Porter said.
Wilbanks disappeared from her Duluth home on April 26 after claiming that she was going for a jog.
While Georgia authorities looked for her, the woman traveled to Las Vegas by bus and then to Albuquerque, N.M. There, she called authorities with a story about having been abducted and sexually assaulted.
But under questioning, she recanted and said she fled Georgia because of unspecified personal issues. She returned to Georgia on April 30, the day she was to have been married in a lavish ceremony with 600 guests.
Her disappearance prompted a massive search and nationwide publicity. City, county and state officials spent about $50,000 looking for her.
Several state and county agencies already said they will not ask her to reimburse them for a total of $10,000 spent in additional search costs.
Despite the indictment, the city of Duluth still is seeking repayment of about $40,000 and Mayor Shirley Lassetter said Wednesday the city has not ruled out a lawsuit against Wilbanks to recoup the costs. The city is continuing its negotiations with Wilbanks' attorney, Lydia Sartain.
Sartain has said she does not think Wilbanks committed a crime in Gwinnett County. Authorities in Albuquerque have already said they will not charge Wilbanks.
"The citizens of the county will be ill-served by an attempted prosecution," Sartain said.
Sartain did not immediately return a phone call or e-mail seeking comment on Wednesday.