FORT COLLINS, Colo., (Reuters) – A Colorado couple who riveted America with a bogus claim their son had floated away in a balloon received a 90-day jail term for the father yesterday, and both face thousands of dollars in restitution.
General contractor Richard Heene will spend at least 30 days behind bars — the rest he can serve on work release if employed — for masterminding a hoax and publicity stunt aimed at gaining the family their own reality television show.
His wife, Mayumi, was spared from any jail time for her part in the hoax, sentenced instead to 20 days of supervised public service work.
Both were also placed on probation for four years, during which time they must perform hundreds more hours of community service and forgo any financial benefit from their “balloon-boy” escapade, including potential earnings generated by book deals or other media ventures.
