Mom in Pa. abduction hoax pleads guilty

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia woman accused of faking her own abduction after she disappeared with her 9-year-old daughter in May has pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanors.

Bonnie Sweeten, 38, pleaded guilty today to identity theft and making false reports to police in Bucks County Court. The case is set to continue to sentencing immediately.

Authorities say the mother of three called 911 on May 26 and said she and her daughter had been abducted by two black men. Prosecutors say she instead used a former co-worker’s driver’s license to fly to Florida and check into a hotel at Walt Disney World.

Sweeten also is the focus of a federal theft investigation. Authorities are looking into reports that she may have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from her own family and the law firm where she worked.