Kidnap hoax mom seeks bail in $700k fraud case

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia mom who once blamed her staged disappearance on two black men is seeking bail in a $700,000 fraud case.

Bonnie Sweeten, of Feasterville, has spent the year incarcerated since calling 911 last summer and reporting a carjacking and kidnapping that never occurred.

Police found her and her daughter a few days later at Disney World. They say she fled to avoid the fraud investigation.

They say the paralegal had been stealing from relatives, law firm clients and others to live beyond her means.

Sweeten served nearly a year in county prison for the false 911 call. She is now in federal custody in the fraud case.

Prosecutors say the 40-year-old Sweeten has proven herself a flight risk.

Her public defender says she has since received counseling in prison.