The Governor of Colorado has pardoned the parents who masterminded the hoax of “Balloon Boy” in 2009.
According to CNN, Richard and Mayumi Heene pled guilty to charges related to telling authorities that their 6-year-old son, Falcon was inside a silver helium balloon that had taken off.
The balloon’s flight into the atmosphere was followed live by worldwide media coverage as the country nervously awaited news on the missing boy.
The child was later found not to have been in the balloon at all, but inside the family home while the world worried he was trapped in the wandering helium balloon.
The family enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame after the incident, but their story fell apart during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer when the child innocently revealed he was coached into the hoax, “You guys said that we did this for the show,” the 6-year-old said.
Authorities later accused the parents of carrying out a stunt for publicity to market themselves for a reality TV show.
The couple pleaded guilty to charges related to the ordeal.
Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities, and Richard Heene pleaded guilty to a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant.
Gov. Jared Polis offered to pardon the parents, saying they had paid the price in the public’s eyes.
“Richard and Mayumi have paid the price in the eyes of the public, served their sentences, and it’s time for all of us to move on. It’s time to no longer let a permanent criminal record from the balloon boy saga follow and drag down the parents for the rest of their lives,” Polis said in a statement.
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