'Balloon boy' family to plead guilty: report

The Colorado parents accused of the "balloon boy" hoax are to plead guilty, a local newspaper citing a statement from their lawyer said Thursday.

The Fort Collins Coloradoan reported on its website that Richard and Mayumi Heene would enter guilty pleas on Friday in order to prevent the deportation of Japanese national Mayumi.

Under an agreement with prosecutors, Mayumi Heene will plead guilty to false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor offense which will result in a period of probation.

Richard Heene will plead guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, with a stipulated sentence to probation, according to the statement.

Family lawyer David Lane said authorities had demanded that Richard Heene "fall on his sword" and admit to a more serious felony plea.

Lane said a felony conviction for Mayumi Heene would have resulted in her deportation because she is a Japanese national.

The Heenes were at the center of an international media frenzy last month after they reported that their six-year-old son Falcon had accidentally floated away on a home-made air balloon shaped like a flying saucer.

After a massive multi-agency search, the child was discovered hiding at home. Police later said the incident had been a hoax designed by the Heenes to help them land a reality television show.