Balloon Boy parents cop a plea to skip jail

The two mindless parents who claimed their 6-year old son was trapped in rogue balloon just to gain press attention for a reality show pitch have now taken a plea bargain to avoid prison time.
As part of their blame-shirking deal, amateur storm-chaser, Richard Heene, 48, will plead guilty to ‘attempting to influence a public servant’, which is a felony, thereby closing the case brought on by the stunt he and his wife perpetrated on October 15.
Meanwhile, wife Mayumi – a Japanese citizen – who faced deportation if stronger charges were filed will now plead guilty to ‘false reporting,’ which a low-grade misdemeanor.
“Mayumi could have been deported and Richard would then face trial, with a good chance of acquittal,” David Lane, the Heene’s attorney told the AP. “But this would mean a risk of the wife and mother being removed and deported. That was not acceptable, therefore these pleas.” he explained.

The self-serving saga gripped TV audiences all over the world when 6-year-old Falcon Heene was reported to be adrift and in danger in the fast-moving balloon, but global concern turned to multinational anger when the truth of their claims was revealed.
Well-known in their home town of Fort Collins as amateur storm chasers, the Heenes have also appeared on ABC’s, “Wife Swap.” Friends now say Richard concocted this plot to get a show of his own, which he called “The Science Detectives” or “The Psyience Detectives.”
The charges against them would have sent Richard to jail for 4-6 years, but the plea deal now means they will just get probation. There’s no court date as yet, but we’ll bring you that news when it comes…