Kidnap Hoax Mom Went to Disney World with Daughter

It would seem the kidnap hoax is the least of Bonnie Sweeten's troubles with the law:



ORLANDO, Fla. - Bonnie Sweeten agreed today to return to Pennsylvania to face charges she faked her kidnapping and that of her daughter and used a friend's driver's license to buy airline tickets for a trip to Disney World.


Looking drawn and worried, Sweeten, 38, of Feasterville, waived extradition at a brief hearing at the Orange County Jail.


Wearing a blue jail uniform, her hair hanging loose, Sweeten answered with a simple "yes" to questions posed by Florida Circuit Court Senior Judge Charles Prather and ended her appearance by saying, "Thank, you."


She is expected to fly to Philadelphia sometime today.


The charges she now faces - filing a false report and identity theft - are misdemeanors.


Weeks before Sweeten took off for Florida with her 9-year-old daughter Julia Rakoczy on Tuesday, authorities in Bucks County looked into an allegation that she might have stolen $300,000 or more from an investment account belonging to one of her ex-husband's relatives, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.


The inquiry went nowhere because the purported victim declined to cooperate with authorities and hoped to get back any missing money from Sweeten directly, said a detective who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.


The old allegation is part of a broad police inquiry into reports that Sweeten might have taken money from financial accounts belonging to several people, including her parents, her former employer and a former co-worker at a law firm.


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