The Colorado parents who orchestrated the so-called balloon-boy hoax in October were both sentenced to prison terms on Wednesday.
Richard Heene, 48, received 90 days in jail and four years' probation, ABC News reports. His wife, Mayumi Heene, 45, was given 20 days behind bars and four years' probation.
They also received community service (100 hours and 120 hours, respectively), and are barred from profiting financially in any way from the incident for at least four years.
The hoax occurred on Oct. 15, when the Heenes claimed their 6-year-old son Falcon had floated away from the family's Fort Collins home in a homemade balloon. In fact, the boy was hiding in the house at the time.
Richard Heene offered a brief apology at the sentencing. "I do want to reiterate that I'm very, very sorry," he said. "And I want to apologize to all the rescue workers out there and the people that got involved in the community. That's it."
Mayumi Heene declined to make a statement.
In making a case for jail time, Larimer County chief deputy district attorney Andrew Lewis told the court: "Mr. Heene wasted a lot of man power and a lot of money in wanting to get himself some publicity," and said the court should make an example of him.
People.com
*The Heenes' probation will be revoked if they are found to be profiting from any book, TV, movie or other deals related to the stunt. "This, in simple terms, was an elaborate hoax that was devised by Mr. and Mrs. Heene," the judge said.
The Heenes pleaded guilty to charges that they carried out the balloon hoax, with deals that called for up to 90 days in jail for the husband and 60 days for his wife. Schapanski ordered Mayumi Heene to serve 20 days in jail after her husband completes his sentence. Her time served is flexible — she can report to jail on 10 weekends, for example — so the children are cared for, the judge said.
Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence for the husband, saying that a message needs to be sent to promoters who attempt to carry out hoaxes to generate publicity. Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Lewis also asked for full restitution to reimburse authorities for the cost of investigating the hoax — an amount that could exceed $50,000.
What a bunch of nut jobs.