[Video below.] Balloon boy’s parents learned the age old lesson that what goes up must come down. Richard Heene, the dad behind October’s gripping Balloon Boy hoax, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and four years probation.
Balloon Boy’s mom, Mayumi Heene got 20 days behind bars.
“I do want to reiterate that I’m very, very sorry,” Richard Heene told Judge Stephen Schapanski in a packed Fort Collins, Colo. courthouse before he was sentenced.
“This was all done for the purpose of making money,” Schapanski said before announcing his decision.
The Heenes pleaded guilty to charges that they orchestrated the stunt that captivated the nation in the fall in the hope of lifting their reality television careers.
They told cops their 6-year-old son, Falcon, boarded a homemade helium filled flying saucer, which broke free of its restraints and floated away.
A long, multi-county chase ensued – much of it on live TV. It ended when the balloon touched down and Falcon was not inside. His parents later told cops the boy was hiding at home the whole time.
Prosecutor Andy Lewis argued the dad “wasted a lot of manpower and a lot of money in wanting to get himself some publicity.” He said a message needed to be sent to other self-promoters that they will be punished for orchestrating hoaxes.
Richard Heene, 48, faced up to six years for the felony. He also faces a fine of $2,000 to $500,000. Mayumi Heene faced up to six months in county jail and a fine of $50 to $750.
Click below for a video of the father apologizing to the media:
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{NY Daily News/Matzav.com Newscenter}
