<"some people="" aren't="" taking="" this="" seriously="" when="" it="" is="" a="" serious="" matter="" because="" it="" will="" help="" japanese="" relief="" efforts,"="" said="" perry="" rausher,="" the="" california="" attorney="" for="" the="" heene="" family="" who="" is="" handling="" the="" auction.="" "some="" people="" are="" just="" not="" getting="" that."="" richard="" and="" mayumi="" heene,="" former="" fort="" collins="" residents="" who="" now="" live="" in="" florida,="" have="" been="" attempting="" since="" late="" may="" to="" auction="" off="" the="" balloon="" that="" set="" off="" international="" controversy="" in="" october="" 2009.="" the="" heenes="" said="" they="" thought="" their="" 6-="">
year-old son, Falcon, was aboard the balloon when it went up, but he was later found safe in the family's Fort Collins home. Investigators quickly determined that the whole episode was a hoax meant to help land a reality television show for the Heene family. Richard and Mayumi Heene both served brief jail terms for their roles in the hoax. The Heenes suggested a $1 million purchase price for the balloon, with proceeds going to unspecified tsunami relief efforts in Mayumi Heene's native Japan. Under terms of their probation, the Heenes can't personally financially benefit from the Balloon Boy caper until 2013. The original bid deadline came and went in early June, and was then extended until June 17. In an interview Thursday, Rausher said he was evaluating an unspecified number of bids to make sure they were genuine. He declined to specify the bid amounts, citing confidentiality requests by bidders. "We are closing it up and probably have knowledge of the winner I would expect by mid next week," he said. />
