Judge: Pa. mom in kidnap hoax faces stiff sentence

Judge: Pa. mom in kidnap hoax faces stiff sentence

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A judge says a suburban Philadelphia mother who staged a hoax carjacking before flying to Disney World should expect a “significant” prison term for swindling huge sums of money from her ex-boss and a relative.

Federal prosecutors say Bonnie Sweeten, of Feasterville, stole $1 million and should spend 10 years in prison.

The defense is challenging the fraud total at today’s sentencing hearing. The sentencing will take more than a day.

The white mother of three triggered a national search when she called 911 in 2009 and said she and her 9-year-old had been kidnapped by two black men and stuffed in a trunk. She then took her daughter to Orlando, Fla.

Sweeten served a year in state prison for the hoax. She says her life unraveled amid marital and financial stresses.