Thursday, December 24, 2009 DENVER: The parents in Colorado's "balloon boy" hoax were handed jail sentences on Wednesday after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the incident.Richard Heene, 48, showed no emotion as Judge Stephen Schapanski handed him a 90-day sentence -- which will begin in January -- before a packed courtroom in Fort Collins, outside Denver."This in simple terms was an elaborate hoax that was devised by Mr and Mrs Heene," Schapanski said."What this case is about is deception and exploitation -- exploitation of the Heenes' children, exploitation of the media, exploitation of the feelings of people. And it was all about money, making money."Under the terms of the sentence, Heene will serve 30 days behind bars while the remainder of the term will be "work release," allowing the father-of-three to be free to work during the day but spending his nights in a jail cell.Heene, who had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of ...
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