Affidavit: Heene Parents "Knew All Along" Son Wasn't in Balloon

Mayumi Heene, the mother of balloon boy Falcon Heene, told investigators she and her husband "knew all along that Falcon was hiding in the residence," according to an affidavit obtained by The Associated Press.

According to the court documents, Mrs. Heene also told investigators the Oct. 15 incident — when the family claimed their 6-year-old son might have been stuck in a helium balloon — was concocted specifically to make the family of five more marketable.

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"Mayumi described that she and Richard Heene devised this hoax approximately two weeks earlier.... She and Richard had instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax," the affidavit said, according to the AP.

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Mayumi told investigators she and her husband had lied about the occurrence as early as Oct. 17, two days after the event. The affidavit, released Friday, was used to secure a search warrant for the Heene family's home.

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Richard Heene has publicly maintained the balloon boy saga was not a hoax. But early last week, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Aldernen alleged that the event was staged and said he would seek charges against both Richard and Mayumi Heene.

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Possible charges include conspiracy, attempting to influence a public servant, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and false reporting to authorities. Some of the more serious charges carry a six year maximum jail sentence each and a $500,000 fine.