Mayumi Heene

Mayumi Heene is the mother of Falcon Heene, a six-year-old Fort Collins, Colorado, boy first thought to have crawled into his father's experimental helium-filled balloon and floated away on October 15, 2009. When the balloon landed the boy was not inside. A massive search was launched for the child, who was later found safe hiding in the family's garage. On October 18, 2009, authorities in Larimer County, Colorado, announced that the incident was a hoax. According to documents released on October 23, 2009, Mayumi Heene told police the entire incident was a hoax thought up by she and her husband, Richard Heene, two weeks before the incident took place.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNjDfxqke2Lg2A8JyZaRyg2ufgIQD9BH2ET83

In early-January of 2010, Richard Heene said in an interview with CNN's Larry King that the incident was not a hoax. Heene says his guilty plea was an effort to keep his wife Mayumi from being deported. Mayumi Heene is a Japanese citizen, and if convicted of a major crime, she could have been deported.http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/06/colorado.balloon.boy/index.html

Richard and Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty in November of 2009. They were both sentenced on December 23, 2009. A judge gave Mayumi Heene 20 days in jail and four years probation. Richard Heene was sentenced to 90 days in jail and four years of probation. Mrs. Heene also received 120 hours of community service. Under terms, she cannot profit from the hoax story for four years.http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/balloon-boy-dad-richard-heene-90-days-jail/story?id=9408887 Heene began serving her community service in early April of 2010.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iC6jwbmzuVUF4YLJVJo5CPNtOLxQD9EUF1F80

Mayumi Heene is married to Richard Heene; Heene is a storm chaser and reportedly designed the experimental weather balloon. The couple have three children: Bradford, Ryo Heene and Falcon Heene.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/falcon-heene-balloon-boy_n_322736.html