Both Parents of Balloon Boy Prank to Plead Guilty

DENVER, Colorado - The parents in last month's widely publicized "balloon boy" adventure will plead guilty to charges for creating a hoax that their son had flown away in a large helium balloon. Richard and Mayumi Heene are going to plead guilty in Larimer County Court on Friday morning, according to a statement given by Richard Heene's attorney, David Lane.

Mayumi Heene called 911 on October 16, saying the couple's 6 year old son Falcon was inside the balloon that had taken off in the air. Millions of people from all around the country watched the event unfold on national television for almost two hours. Military aircraft tracked the balloon and rescuers chased it to the ground. Falcon was not inside the balloon. Mayumi Heene later admitted it was a hoax, stating Falcon had been safe inside their home the whole time the fiasco was taking place.

In court documents released last month, it was stated the couple designed the plan about two weeks before the incident took place, and instructed their three children to lie to authorities and media regarding the run away balloon with Falcon inside. Their motive in the scam was to make the Heene family marketable for future media interest, possibly their own reality TV show.

Mayumi Heene, 45, is expected to plead guilty to an offense of false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor. Richard Heene, 48, is expected to plead guilty of attempting to influence a public servant, a felony offense.

Although Lane initially said the deal would spare the couple jail time, he said he expected prosecutors to request time behind bars. Mayumi Heene could face deportation back to Japan if convicted of a felony. The threat of deportation for Mayumi Heene was a factor in the plea deal negotiation.

Mayumi Heene is a citizen of Japan. A misdeameanor or felony conviction could result in her deportation, even though her husband and children are Americans. Heene's attorney stated, "It is supremely ironic that law enforcement has expressed such grave concern over the welfare of the children, but it was ultimately the threat of taking the children's mother from the family and deporting her to Japan which fueled this deal."

The Heene's left their home on Thursday without speaking to reporters. Stay tuned to see what happens on Friday.