Richard and Mayumi Heene

Dec. 14, 2009 — -- Nationwide panic was sparked this Oct. 16 when Richard and Mayumi Heene called 9-1-1 to report that a homemade, saucer-shaped, helium balloon that had been tethered in the backyard of their Fort Collins, Colorado home had broken free – and that their six-year-old son Falcon was inside.

Millions were riveted to their TVs as the media tracked the silver balloon's flight across the Colorado sky, and gasped when it hit the ground.

Soon after it was learned that the balloon had landed with no one aboard, the Heenes claimed they had found Falcon hiding in the rafters of the family garage.

But within hours, celebration turned to suspicion when, during a CNN interview, the boy said, "We did this for a show." His parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, had staged the entire incident for publicity.

Richard Heene, 49, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant. Mayumi Heene, a 48-year-old Japanese citizen, pleaded guilty to false reporting, a misdemeanor.

The Heenes' lawyer, David Lane, said they accepted the plea deal rather than risk a trial in which Mayumi, if found guilty, would face deportation to Japan. They were sentenced to probation.