Parents of the balloon boy hoax have been sentenced to jail for pulling the infamous balloon boy incident that had been made to launch the reality TV series career of the family. Richard and Mayumi Heene, parents of 6-year-old balloon boy Falcon, were sentenced to 90 and 20 days in prison, respectively.

Pictures of the balloon boy hoax and the family show snippets of how they did it.Balloon boy father Richard Heene apologized in court for the balloon boy hoax, which held the breath of the nation for hours, stating:

“I’m very, very sorry. And I want to apologize to all the rescue workers out there, and the people that got involved in the community.”

The balloon boy parents were sentenced to jail time.

Broke and desperate, balloon boy parents Richard and Mayumi Heene planned the balloon boy incident, which involved Falcon. Through the balloon boy hoax, they made it appear that Falcon had floated away in a giant helium balloon shaped like a flying saucer. Several rescue workers had appeared on the scene, including military helicopters just to aid the balloon boy family. All this in the hopes of garnering a reality TV show that would support the balloon boy family’s means of living.

Apart from being sentenced to jail, the balloon boy hoax parents were also dealt four years’ probation, a period in which they cannot earn any money related to the stunt — including books, movies, or reality TV deals.

District Judge Stephen Schapanski stated about the balloon boy hoax:

“What this case is about is deception, exploitation — exploitation of the children of the Heenes, exploitation of the media and exploitation of people’s emotions — and money.”

Balloon boy father Richard Heene was given until Jan. 11 to report to jail so that he could spend the holidays with his family. Only after his sentence will his wife and fellow balloon boy hoax perpetrator Mayumi serve her 20 days of jail time after her husband completes his sentence.