US News

Balloon Boy folks set to plead guilty

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Balloon Boy’s parents will plead guilty to some charges so that the family can stay together, the attorney for the child’s father said yesterday.

Richard Heene will plead guilty in the Oct. 15 hoax to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, his attorney, David Lane, said. Mayumi Heene — a Japanese citizen who could have been deported if convicted of more serious charges — will plead guilty to false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor, he said.

The Larimer County District Attorney’s Office announced the criminal charges yesterday. Spokeswoman Linda Jensen said the office would not discuss whether a plea agreement had been reached.

The charge against Richard Heene carries a possible sentence of two to six years in state prison and a fine of up to $500,000, prosecutors said. His wife could face up to six months in county jail and a fine up to $750.

The saga gripped the world, first with fear for the safety of 6-year-old Falcon — who was believed trapped in a runaway balloon — and then anger at his parents over the hoax.