09:37 AM EDT 10/26/2009
Falcon Heene
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Affidavit: Balloon Boy's Mom Confesses to Hoax
Originally posted 10/24/2009 10:00AM
The mother of "Balloon Boy," Mayumi Heene, has confessed to lying to authorities and said that the release of the 20-foot Mylar balloon on Oct. 15 was "intentional as a hoax," according to an affidavit obtained by the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
In the affidavit sworn out by sheriff's investigator Robert Heffernan, Mayumi Heene said she and her husband knew all along that their son Falcon, 6, was not on board the balloon but rather hiding in their home, and that the motive for the hoax was to make their family "more marketable for future media interest."
Even though Mayumi has confessed, her husband Richard Heene's criminal fate is still "up in the air," according to Scott Robinson, a Denver defense attorney, who is not involved with the case.
Permalink | Filed Under: Falcon Heene, Mayumi Heene, Richard Heene
Kate Gosselin Wigs Selling Out for Halloween
Originally posted 10/21/2009 09:00AM
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If you feel compelled to snatch the hair off of Kate Gosselin's head, better act fast: Kate blonde wigs for Halloween are selling out in New York stores, according to Wednesday's Today show.
One of the replicas of the Gosselin 'do – described as "a reverse mullet" – made it onto the morning program's set, and then on to the crown of guest anchor Erin Burnett's head.
Also on display were two other best-sellers in the costume department: a mask of David Letterman, currently embroiled in an alleged extortion plot against him, and a mask of imprisoned Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff.
Permalink | Filed Under: David Letterman, Falcon Heene, Kate Gosselin
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Balloon Boy Family Now Under Federal Investigation
Originally posted 10/20/2009 03:15PM
It's not every day the Federal Aviation Administration has to consider the flight of a silver UFO-looking helium balloon.
"This is unusual," acknowledges Mike Fergus, spokesman for the FAA in Washington state, which opened an investigation into the two-hour balloon flight in FAA-monitored airspace. "But we investigate any air incident. The investigation is solely focusing on if we had any violations of our regulatory authority or regulations."
Fergus says he is not at liberty to discuss specifics, nor can he guess as to when the probe will be complete. He says the FAA can only file civil charges if a violation did take place.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Falcon Heene
VIDEO: Ex-Colleague Says Heene Planned Balloon Hoax
Originally posted 10/20/2009 08:00AM
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While Colorado's Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said Monday that it may take a week for charges to be filed against Richard Heene for his role in the alleged balloon hoax of last Thursday, a former business associate of Heene's is making the interview rounds to provide further background on the purported wannabe reality TV superstar.
Robert Thomas appeared on Tuesday's Today, where he described Heene, 48, as "a very creative individual. Hyperactive … driven by fame and promoting himself." When he saw the news footage of the Mylar balloon floating over Colorado skies last Thursday, Thomas says he thought to himself, "Who would possibly do something like this? It has to be Richard Heene."
What Thomas did not touch upon, but has been reported elsewhere, is that Thomas, a 25-year-old college student, shares some of Heene's offbeat ideas on weather. Also, according to the New York Post, Heene is convinced that he was once abducted by extraterrestrials and that Armageddon will arrive in 2012.
Permalink | Filed Under: Real People Stories, Falcon Heene, Mayumi Heene, Richard Heene
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INSIDE STORY: Balloon Dad's Wife Swap Costar Saw Temper
Originally posted 10/19/2009 06:05PM
When Sheree Silver temporarily lived with Balloon Boy Falcon Heene and his dad Richard in their Fort Collins, Colo., home during the filming of an episode of TV's Wife Swap last November, she observed that Richard "had the mind of a mad scientist" – with a prickly personality and a short fuse to match.
But Silver, a psychic from Saint Augustine, Fla., says when she predicted in the show's 100th episode that one of Richard's science experiments would "blow up" in his face, she never dreamed he would involve Falcon in an elaborate alleged hoax involving the flight of a helium-filled balloon seen by TV viewers around the globe.
Nor could she have foreseen the troubles that would follow. The Larimer County, Colo., sheriff now says Richard Heene could face felony charges, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Falcon Heene
Lawyer: Balloon Boy Parents to Surrender to Authorities
Originally posted 10/18/2009 03:00PM
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Three days after the nation watched the televised image of a silver flying saucer-shaped balloon traveling across the Colorado sky, it turns out the saga of the balloon boy may have been all hot air.
"It has been determined this was a hoax. It was a publicity stunt," Larimer County, Colo., Sheriff Jim Alderden told reporters Sunday. He said no arrests will be made until the investigation is complete.
Alderden said the hoax was hatched more than two weeks ago by either one or both of 6-year-old Falcon Heene's parents as a means of landing their own reality TV show. Authorities are investigating whether others are involved.
Permalink | Filed Under: Real People Stories, Falcon Heene, Richard Heene
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Sheriff: Charges Will 'Likely Be Filed' Against Balloon Boy's Parents
Originally posted 10/17/2009 11:20PM
Was it a hoax after all?
After a second interview late Saturday with Richard and Mayumi Heene – the parents of the now-infamous balloon boy – Larimer County, Colo., Sheriff Jim Alderden says that misdemeanor charges will now "likely be filed" against one or both the parents.
Alderden would not elaborate on what changed his mind from Friday, when he told reporters during a nationally televised press conference that he was "convinced" the family was telling the truth.
Permalink | Filed Under: Real People Stories, Falcon Heene, Richard Heene
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Sheriff Doubts Balloon Escapade Was a Hoax
Originally posted 10/16/2009 03:45PM
Six-year-old balloon boy Falcon Heene and his family haven't landed on their feet – yet.
Larimer County, Colo., Sheriff Jim Alderden says his investigators will re-interview the family on Saturday after media reports raised questions about whether the balloon incident was a hoax perpetrated by the Heenes, who live in Fort Collins.
Alderden says he was convinced after talking and being with the parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, on Thursday that they "were being honest with us," but "based on the level of skepticism, it's incumbent on us to go back to the family."
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Real People Stories, Falcon Heene, Richard Heene
Truth or Hot Air: Balloon Boy's Father Speaks Out
Originally posted 10/16/2009 07:50AM
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Richard Heene faced his own wild ride on Friday, battling rumors that Thursday's frantic rescue effort to save his 6-year-old-son Falcon – who was believed to be aboard a homemade helium-filled balloon that floated high over Colorado for more than two hours with National Guard and sheriff's helicopters in its pursuit – was the result of a publicity stunt.
Appearing on Friday's Today show, Heene said such accusations were making him angry. As he spoke to the NBC morning program's Meredith Vieira, Falcon, who had safely hidden in the rafters of the family garage while the balloon adventure played out on national TV, got sick to his stomach on camera.
Permalink | Filed Under: Real People Stories, Falcon Heene, Richard Heene
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Balloon Family: Reality Stars, Thrill Seekers
Originally posted 10/15/2009 06:35PM
They're an unusual family at the center of a bizarre story: Their UFO-looking helium balloon soared from their home at the same time their 6-year-old son disappeared – with the boy later found safely at home after a nationally televised air-and-ground search.
So who are the Heenes of Fort Collins, Colo.?
Reality TV fans may remember Richard and wife Mayumi from the ABC show Wife Swap. During their episode, which aired on the show's premiere in October 2008, they switched with the Martels, a Connecticut family with a childproofing business. The family's segment proved so popular that viewers voted them back onto a March 2009 episode – this time with a St. Augustine, Fla., couple whose wife earns a living as a psychic.
Even by the outrageous standards of reality television, the Heenes stand out for their thrill-seeking lifestyle that sometimes put their own children on the edge of danger. As Mayumi told the Coloradoan newspaper last year: "Wife Swap was just another adventure for us as a family."
Permalink | Filed Under: Real People Stories, Falcon Heene, Richard Heene
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