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In this file photo taken on December 23, 2009, Richard Heene and Mayumi Heene (left) leave Room 3A after their sentencing hearing at the Larimer County Justice Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Chris Schneider, Getty Images, AFP
- American parents who falsely claimed their child was floating in a balloon have been pardoned.
- They became a worldwide sensation when people saw the balloon floating 110 km.
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the couple had “paid the price” for their actions.
Two Colorado parents jailed for falsely claiming that their 6-year-old son, Falcón, had floated away in a homemade balloon shaped like a flying saucer, received pardons from the governor of the western US state.
Richard and Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty in 2009 to the “balloon boy” hoax, which became a worldwide media sensation with millions of live viewers as the silver helium balloon drifted by. the skies for 110 km.
The October 2009 incident ended after five hours when the grounded balloon was discovered to be empty and Falcon emerged from a hiding place in the family home.
The husband and wife, accused by prosecutors of conspiring to use advertising to land a reality TV show, were pardoned by Governor Jared Polis on Wednesday.
“It is time not to let the permanent criminal record of the balloon boy saga follow and drag the parents away for the rest of their lives,” Polis wrote in a statement, saying the couple had “paid the price in the eyes of the public”. “.
‘Forced guilty plea’
Police suspicions were inflated when Falcon blurted out in a CNN television interview that the entire episode had been made “for the show.”
The hoax was apparently confirmed within 48 hours of the interview, when Japan-born Mayumi Heene reportedly collapsed during police questioning.
But the couple’s lawyer told AFP on Thursday that they only pleaded guilty to avoid being deported and that they really feared their son was on board the balloon.
“They regret not going through all of this further, but it was a forced guilty plea,” David Lane said. “And I think that also influenced the governor.”
He added: “Now I can finally say that the balloon is over.”
Richard Heene, sentenced to 90 days for attempting to influence a public servant, now owns a small business and has contributed to his community “by researching and educating about extreme weather events,” Polis wrote.
Mayumi Heene, sentenced to 20 days in jail for falsely reporting to authorities, has become a naturalized US citizen. The couple now live in Florida.
Falcon, now a teenager, went on to form a heavy metal band with his brothers, Ryo and Bradford, releasing a song titled Balloon Boy, No Hoax and an accompanying low-budget video with a simulated flying saucer.
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