Both parents of the Balloon Boy are going to plead guilty. The dad is going to plead guilty to a felony to save his wife from having to. She will plead to a misdemeanor. If she had plead guilty to a felony she probably would have been deported because she is a Japanese citizen.
It isn't expected that either of the couple will serve any jail time because hey, they were on television. I think some jail time is in order because right now nothing is happening to them at all and you know they are still going to get a reality show out of this whole thing. Where is the punishment? Sure, being convicted of a felony will make it tough for the dad to get a job, but do you think he is going to be working a 9 to 5 job anyway?
The whole country wad duped and scared for that little boy and I just think someone should should serve some time in jail.
Why would they deport here?
ReplyDeleteIsn't she here legally because she is married to an American now?
a very large fine is in order. and parenting classes. is dcf still involved?
ReplyDeleteNot only should their be jailtime, but a visit from CPS is not out of the question.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it should be mandatory that they pay back every cent this hoax cost.
I don't know about jail but they should definitely have to pay back what they cost in wasted man hours & other resources. I wonder if that's part of the plea.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the dad seems like a major prick who probably should've been in jail already. some of those youtube videos they made with the kids are beyond creepy.
ita famewhore dad should serve jail time, he should pay a steep fine too. *bets john gosselin will guest star on reality show*
ReplyDeleteI'm with Cecilia...
ReplyDeleteI also think anyone who watches any forthcoming reality show should be jailed.
The D.A. for Larimer and Jackson Counties filed charges against the Heene's Thursday afternoon, after Richard's lawyer released his statement, confirming that the couple will turn themselves in on Friday.
ReplyDeleteRichard Heene could face a sentence of up to 90 days in jail, and Mayumi to 60 days. Once pleas are entered, the court will likely hand down the sentences sometime next month.
90 days? WTF.
Japan doesn't allow duel citizenship. So if she's still a Japanese citizen, then she's in the US on a green card. I've worked with people who have legally been in the US for 20 years, but never declared US citizenship.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for that poor kid. First, he was duped by his parents. I'm sure something was said to him after his first blunder to have had him puking on air for the next several interviews. I'm sure he will never be allowed to forget that Mommy and Daddy got in trouble and it was all his fault. I hope he can get early intervention that will help him to see that it was their own fault that they used him and we was too young to be duplicitous in the way they desired.
ReplyDeleteWith the screw up this family cause it doesn't sound like a punishment.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, shelly_bean. People who purposely waste the resources of emergency personnel should have to pay back some of the costs involved. How many hours were spent on this kid, when resources might have been needed elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteI remember my heart being in my throat watching that balloon float on live TV - and watch it just barely skim over those electrical wires, wondering if that little boy was inside. I was scared to death for that child,and I know I'm not the only one. What the hell did they intend to accomplish? There is a special place in hell for people who commit those kinds of fraud.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling the dad is the mastermind behind this whole fiasco and his wife is brainwashed into doing everything he wants... at any rate, the thought that this jerk could be REWARDED over this with some sort of freaking reality show and be given MONEY to do so, just irritates the hell out of me. He should be banned from TV for life since he won't do jail time.
I swear the injustices in life just totally tick me off at times.
As a Denver-ite (formerly from CA), whose tax money was used to pay for the rescue effort, I demand jail time and full restitution! Even if it means manual labor for the rest of the parents lives for the restitution part. For them to plea out to no jail time is absurd. If they get a reality show out of this, it is a clear sign, the apocalypse is here :-)
ReplyDeleteah, what a heartwarming story of american family life!!
ReplyDeletea husband and father who doesn't work at a real job decides to use one of his children as a prop to get the family on the reality TV gravy train. tells his children to lie, and enlists the help of his wife. concocts elaborate ruse.
after terrifying people all over the country, tying up law enforcement resources, and getting national wall-to-wall news coverage, we learn it was just a joke. haha. so funny.
and for this, the punishment is.....nothing.
is it any wonder this society is doomed?
I agree that they need to pay back EVERY penny it cost for that piece of fuckery.
ReplyDeletePoor kids. Poor wife. I think he's the controlling loon behind it all.
Enty - legal question I'm sure you'd know better than I would:
ReplyDeleteIf the dad pleads guilty to a felony, is he prohibited from making any financial gain from his crime? Would money from interviews, etc., automatically be diverted to the people owed from this fiasco?
That guy seems like a large enough prick to not plead guilty and make his wife suffer even more. She just goes along with what he says because it's easier to deal with him that way.
ReplyDeleteThe kids are the big losers in all this. And ITA with Vikingwench - he was afraid of Daddy's wrath.
Shame on Hwood if they do get a "reality" show. All these shows need to start fading away.
"Isn't she here legally because she is married to an American now?"
ReplyDeleteAnother lie that movies have told us. It doesn't matter if you're happily married with kids, if you don't have citizenship, the government can kick you out any time they want. (My friend's husband has been fighting deportation for years, even though he came here legally and they have a beautiful baby girl.)
Sorry to barge in so late here, but Mooshki doesn't really know what (s)he's talking about -- sure, you don't automatically get granted U.S. citizenship when you get married as a foreigner to a U.S. citizen, but there is a very distinct process one can take to where marriage leads very quickly up to citizenship. It all begins with filing the correct paperwork before the bethrothed foreigner comes into the country, then the person gets a piece of paper saying they can live here legally, a Social Security Number so they can find work, etc. Then after several months the marriage can happen. Then the person can study for their citizenship test for the two years (s)he must wait before taking said test, which will ensure (along with a basic English proficiency that about 95% of the non-English speaking world outside the U.S. are very capable of doing in this situation) that they will be invited to join in with the rest of the flag wavers at the next and nearest citizenship swearing in ceremony. Instantly, newly minted American with all the rights and privileges accorded them, and even if they hold up a convenience store, no judge worth his/her weight in black robes would sentence them to anything more than what a native-born American would get, i.e. hard time in the slammer.
ReplyDeleteOf course, some people don't take all the necessary steps to becoming a citizen and remain at "permanent resident" status, which does involve the threat of deportation. But really, you're told all the proper instructions right at the get-go and it's at least the U.S.-born partner's responsibility to guide their other half through the process.
(I, er, had a foreign boyfriend for awhile and looked into this as a "just in case".)