FAA Starts Own Balloon Boy Probe

Lawyer says stunt has turned into a "nightmare for the family."

(NEWSER) - Richard and Mayumi Heene are likely regretting the hoax they staged using their 6-year-old son and a balloon: With criminal charges looming and public opinion turning against them, the family feels “under siege,” their lawyer said today. The FAA has opened an investigation into the incident; it has jurisdiction because the hoax caused delays in flights out of Denver International. Local police will probably bring charges next week, USA Today reports. More»

Unnamed outlet blurs entertainment-news lines, says Alderden

(NEWSER) - A shady TV operation may have already paid the Heenes for its balloon boy stunt, the Colorado sheriff investigating the case has indicated. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the unnamed outlet paid the family for the launch and may be complicit in the hoax. An agreement from the media operation to pay the Heenes was found during a police search of the family's home, according to the New York Daily News. More»

'My dad can really yell,' son told her

(NEWSER) - The "swapped wife" who lived with the Balloon Boy's family as part of a TV reality program described dad Richard Heene as a mad scientist with a short fuse. Sheree Silver said Heene screamed at her, and son Bradford said: "My dad can really yell, can't he?" Silver doesn't believe Heene was capable of physical abuse, People reports. Colorado police, however, revealed that they tried to convince Heene's wife to move into a shelter after a a domestic violence call in February. More»

More bizarre background on 'Balloon Boy' dad Richard Heene comes out

(NEWSER) - Richard Heene’s totally sensible motivation for his balloon hoax: He “believes the world is going to end in 2012," explained a lawyer for one of Heene’s researchers, who police recently interviewed. "Because of that he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding,” the Telegraph reports. More on Heene: More»

Internet yields veritable treasure trove of Balloon Boy family background

(NEWSER) - Richard Heene wanted to make his family famous, so it's no surprise that the Internet yields a wide variety of background info on the balloon boy dad—from the hilarious (Heene wearing a bra) to the not-so-hilarious (former run-ins with the law). Read on for more:

• TMZ unearthed two audio gems: Theme songs Heene wrote for shows he cooked up in 2005, "The Psyience Detective" ("Tune into the show that's really effective/Watch Richard Heene—Science Detective!") and "The Contractor" ("If you need it built or fixed/There's just one man to pick/That's Richard Heene—contractor!").