Menu

Mother Who Faked Kidnapping to Go to Disney World is Once Again Facing Fraud Charges

Credit: Disney, AP Photo/Red Huber, Pool

In 2009, Bucks County resident Bonnie Sweeten called the police and reported that she and her 9-year-old daughter were the victims of a kidnapping. She was found the next day at the most expensive Walt Disney World Resort hotel.

Credit: ABC 7 Chicago, AP Photo/Matt Rourke

RELATED: Disney World Brawl Results in Multiple Arrests

According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bonnie Sweeten told the police that her car had been rear-ended by two African American men who then abducted her and her daughter. She created a false report and claimed to be calling from the trunk of her kidnappers’ car, but in reality, she was on her way to Walt Disney World.

In order to flee Bucks County for a Disney World vacation, Sweeten used her former coworker’s personal information and driver’s license to purchase plane tickets, ensuring that even her family and friends would be unable to find her.

Due to this abduction hoax, Sweeten was sentenced to 9 months in county prison. A few years later, in 2012, the Pennsylvania woman was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison due to “a series of deceptions starting in 2004 to steal more than $1 million while working as a paralegal in Bucks County,” says the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Credit: ABC 7 Chicago, AP Photo/Red Huber, Pool

RELATED: Florida Man Arrested at Disney’s Hollywood Studios After Shoving Girlfriend and Baby

In 2017, Sweeten was hired as a bookkeeper for a company whose name hasn’t been released. Although the employer, who had known her for years, was trying to give her a second chance, Sweeten has been faced with two counts of wire fraud for stealing from her employer.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sweeten has reportedly issued herself company checks, stolen checks addressed to the company (and later fraudulently endorsed them to herself), and has even used a company credit card to make personal purchases. These purchases add up to tens of thousands of dollars.

RELATED: Man Arrested For Child Abuse at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

If Bonnie Sweeten is convicted of these charges, she may face a sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

About Isabella Reimer

Isabella Reimer grew up visiting Walt Disney World and relocated to Central Florida to be even closer to The Most Magical Place on Earth. She earned her Bachelor’s from Florida State University, where she studied Creative Writing and Women’s Studies. Her biggest hobby is bonding with the ikran at Avatar Flight of Passage, and her retirement plan includes becoming the 1,000 Happy Haunt of the Haunted Mansion.