GUILTY PA - Bonnie Sweeten for staged abduction, swindle, Upper Southampton, 2009

[BuzzieCat]

Odd that they were reportedly having domestic issues before, but now that she has pulled this whopper he is scrambling to take her back?

 

[Lovejac]

Odd that they were reportedly having domestic issues before, but now that she has pulled this whopper he is scrambling to take her back?

Well, with all that $$$$ she's been stealing & stashing, he probably figured "Why not"

 

[PattyCake]

You know, this doesn't surprise me as much as the exhubby and hubby's reactions. If you think about it...the 15yo thought they were both probably going to end up dead and she would never have the chance to tell them those things a girl should say, but doesn't. I think she may also be blaming herself which bothers me a great deal. She may believe her mother debating suicide could be related to her in some way and the reason she wasn't the one chosen. How very sad since none of this had anything to do with her or her siblings.

It was the selfish act of a selfish woman who is now free to spew whatever garbage to her family that she wants. GRRRR! (Glad she can only see the kids with supervised visitation. At least the judge and others are smarter than her ex and current husbands!!)

SS, ty. Did not know she can see her kids with supervision only. That's very good to hear.

With the dad, he is a complete doormat. There will be a time, after this has all settled and his finances & company is ruined and beyond repair where he hopefully will have a wakeup call.

 

[Openmind]

Interesting details about Sweeten's life.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/h..._picture-perfect_suburban_mom.html?page=1&c=y

 

[Kat]

I've been reading this thread everyday. I just haven't posted to it.

First I have a very smartalec remark to make and I shouldn't post it, I should be more mature but I'm going to anyway.

That is, I, myself, must have been doing something very wrong here. With my volunteer work in the surrounding community when I deal with women that have children and one or the other or both are being abused~ I advise them that their best resource if there are none other available to them is to utilize our women's shelter (with their children) to protect themselves and their children....I guess I should just suggest taking off to disney world? (Told you it was a very smart alec statement!)

I do have a question? Can the city, county or state from which she hails sue to recover the enormous amount of resources that her antics caused them to divert to her and away from victims that needed it?

TIA.

 

[Openmind]

I've been reading this thread everyday. I just haven't posted to it. First I have a very smartalec remark to make and I shouldn't post it, I should be more mature but I'm going to anyway.

That is, I, myself, must have been doing something very wrong here. With my volunteer work in the surrounding community when I deal with women that have children and one or the other or both are being abused~ I advise them that their best resource if there are none other available to them is to utilize our women's shelter (with their children) to protect themselves and their children....I guess I should just suggest taking off to disney world? (Told you it was a very smart alec statement!)

I do have a question? Can the city, county or state from which she hails sue to recover the enormous amount of resources that her antics caused them to divert to her and away from victims that needed it?

She is was more than just foolish and irresponsible. If she has just taken off with her child to DisneyWorld, none of us would be reading about her. Instead she fabricated this terrible story of being kidnapped and caused unfair anguish for her family and caused all levels of criminal investigators to go into high alert. (I'll bet they will claim this was her way of calling out for mental help.) Her former husband got ABC to pick up the cost of his travel, but the taxpayers have to pay for all the time and travel this case has caused and will continue to use. And why? It seems because she wasn't able to keep up with her idea of the perfect American "dream life."

What I resent is that this will undoubtedly become all about her. The fact she is immature or selfish will be overshadowed by the fact she was such a great neighbor and mom because she was so generous -- it would seem with other people's money. She was in over her head -- by choice.

I think those at the start of this thread nailed it when they said she was trying to live out some fantasy. Not only the trip but her entire life. I am surprised the present husband couldn't do the math in his head and figure out how much work he was doing, her salary, and how that income aligned with their life style. He was living the fantasy, as well.

Kat, you see women everyday that truly have to face life's limitaiton and hard knocks. Sweeten truly lost track of what give life value.

 

[palocal]

I am amazed at the show of support she is getting from the people that she has been duping for years. The people that she has called friends but that she she never once asked for help or told that she may have gotten herself into trouble. Even worse, she even STOLE from some of them! I'm not saying these friends should be ready to hang her or even abandon her, but I see people posting stuff on her Facebook page supporting her...people who went to high school with her posting messages of great support and I know they didn't hang out with her in high school. It's just odd to me how people can be so supportive.

 

[BuzzieCat]

I wonder who will conduct the supervised visits? I hope it is an impartial third party and not her husband. If it's just him, "supervised" counts for nothing.

 

[CHICANA]

I wonder who will conduct the supervised visits? I hope it is an impartial third party and not her husband. If it's just him, "supervised" counts for nothing.

Is there anything to indicate that she might physically abuse one of her children ? I'm really behind on this thread but it seems that supervision would only be necessary to make sure she doesn't flee, and in that case her husband should do fine.

Again, I'm thrilled that this mom's "breakdown" only involved money and Disney World.

 

[Baxter]

Is there anything to indicate that she might physically abuse one of her children ? I'm really behind on this thread but it seems that supervision would only be necessary to make sure she doesn't flee, and in that case her husband should do fine.

Again, I'm thrilled that this mom's "breakdown" only involved money and Disney World.

No, there wasn't anything that would indicate physical abuse. The order of supervision was given because of the flight risk and her mental status.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I am amazed at the show of support she is getting from the people that she has been duping for years. The people that she has called friends but that she she never once asked for help or told that she may have gotten herself into trouble. Even worse, she even STOLE from some of them! I'm not saying these friends should be ready to hang her or even abandon her, but I see people posting stuff on her Facebook page supporting her...people who went to high school with her posting messages of great support and I know they didn't hang out with her in high school. It's just odd to me how people can be so supportive.

Yes it is quite odd isn't it. She turned the entire country upside down when so many police agencies came in to try and find her and her daughter who she alleged had been kidnapped by two black men. It meant nothing to her that her bodacious lies abused the Amber Alert system when she knew all of this was just a farce.

Imo, it was simple. She knew the walls were closing in because she had embezzled big money and they were onto her. She knew she had betrayed her own parents by changing the 20K check and making it into $285,000. She will have to answer for that too. All it did was buy her a little time but she also knew that check was due to clear. So the cowardly thing she did was to just walkout and leave other people behind to deal with it all.

I don't think going to Disney World was BSs fantasy. She took her 9 year old daughter there so their fleeing trip would be fun for the child. Imo, she had no intentions of coming back. She bought two one way tickets.

This woman is despicable. She has no qualms sacrificing the feelings of others. She had no qualms in dumping all of her sordid illegal dealings right into her loved ones' laps to deal with without warning.

IMO, if she was a male who had done these things she would not receive the support some are giving her. Some people just have to make excuses for a female. No one made this woman steal that money. She did it all on her own and I think most likely she had done it for quite awhile. No one but BS concocted these lies.

She duped everyone. I think she is good at it and trust given wasn't trust deserved.:furious:

 

[palocal]

Yes it is quite odd isn't it. She turned the entire country upside down when so many police agencies came in to try and find her and her daughter who she alleged had been kidnapped by two black men. It meant nothing to her that her bodacious lies abused the Amber Alert system when she knew all of this was just a farce.

Imo, it was simple. She knew the walls were closing in because she had embezzled big money and they were onto her. She knew she had betrayed her own parents by changing the 20K check and making it into $285,000. She will have to answer for that too. All it did was buy her a little time but she also knew that check was due to clear. So the cowardly thing she did was to just walkout and leave other people behind to deal with it all.

I don't think going to Disney World was BSs fantasy. She took her 9 year old daughter there so their fleeing trip would be fun for the child. Imo, she had no intentions of coming back. She bought two one way tickets.

This woman is despicable. She has no qualms sacrificing the feelings of others. She had no qualms in dumping all of her sordid illegal dealings right into her loved ones' laps to deal with without warning.

IMO, if she was a male who had done these things she would not receive the support some are giving her. Some people just have to make excuses for a female. No one made this woman steal that money. She did it all on her own and I think most likely she had done it for quite awhile. No one but BS concocted these lies.

She duped everyone. I think she is good at it and trust given wasn't trust deserved.:furious:

I actually think there are many reasons she went to Disney:

1. She knew she couldn't leave the county with her daughter.
2. She's a Disney fan, and I believe she's been there before with the family.
3. She wanted to hide in plain site and she thought where better to hide than with thousands of other people.
4. It would be a good distraction for Julia who probably wouldn't ask a lot of questions if she was being entertained.

She probably would have lasted a lot longer there if she just slipped away and didn't go with the whole kidnapping scenario. She's lucky the police drug their feet on the Amber Alert or else she never would have made it on that plane. I can't imagine why she thought that was a good idea....other than trying to stay "disappeared". Dumb.

 

[PattyCake]

I've thought about this for a few days. I think she planned this very carefully to make it appear like she has deep mental issues.

If you can show how unstable you are to the courts, they may go easier on you... SO I think she planned out to show how unstable she is because she knew she was going to be arrested. What better way than pull something grand like this? It's not out of the realm of possibilities she 'set herself up' to seem crazy. LE should be looking at the books she's read at home. Betcha there's a fictional story out there something similar to this. Furthermore, I think the amount of stolen money is a lot higher than we realize too.

As for her friends that support her, whatever. I'd never have someone in my life like that, who could heartlessly do this to their family, especially 15 yr old daughter. The utter fear that child must have felt... it's good she has supervised visits only.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[SleuthyMama]

Wow, Pattycake. That's a really good, interesting theory. I hadn't thought of it that way. Thanks! Gives me something else to mull over.

 

[RayStar]

This could very well be a ploy. I'm off mental and can't tell where the money is. It may work.
I am so thankful LE used caution in searching for this mother and child. No innocents were harmed.
Good post PattyCake at 12:04 pm.

 

[CHICANA]

I've thought about this for a few days. I think she planned this very carefully to make it appear like she has deep mental issues.

If you can show how unstable you are to the courts, they may go easier on you... SO I think she planned out to show how unstable she is because she knew she was going to be arrested. What better way than pull something grand like this? It's not out of the realm of possibilities she 'set herself up' to seem crazy. LE should be looking at the books she's read at home. Betcha there's a fictional story out there something similar to this. Furthermore, I think the amount of stolen money is a lot higher than we realize too.

As for her friends that support her, whatever. I'd never have someone in my life like that, who could heartlessly do this to their family, especially 15 yr old daughter. The utter fear that child must have felt... it's good she has supervised visits only.
Hope that makes sense.

Wow, I hadn't thought of that. Any idea how much jail time she's facing ?
Maybe she thought this would be less traumatic than spending 15(?) years in prison, for herself and her children. Not seeing your mother for years might be more stressful than what she did. But we all know she should have thought about that before. I don't think she was alone in regards to the embezzlement and could very well have been taking orders from a superior.
I really have no idea, I'm just surprised at myself for not being upset in the least by her criminal activities.
After Caylee, as long as the kid comes home alive, without being raped or beaten, I could care less about the $$ or even the waste of LE resources. I'm ok with a 'bailout' for BS since taxpayer $$ is being thrown away left & right anyway. I wonder if they bill her if she can file bankruptcy.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Wow, I hadn't thought of that. Any idea how much jail time she's facing ?
Maybe she thought this would be less traumatic than spending 15(?) years in prison, for herself and her children. Not seeing your mother for years might be more stressful than what she did. But we all know she should have thought about that before. I don't think she was alone in regards to the embezzlement and could very well have been taking orders from a superior.
I really have no idea, I'm just surprised at myself for not being upset in the least by her criminal activities.
After Caylee, as long as the kid comes home alive, without being raped or beaten, I could care less about the $$ or even the waste of LE resources. I'm ok with a 'bailout' for BS since taxpayer $$ is being thrown away left & right anyway. I wonder if they bill her if she can file bankruptcy.

I am infuriated. I very much have disdain for anyone that steals and is a blantant liar! Embezzling money is illegal, disgusting and punishable in a court of law. I hope she is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

She should pay every dime back it took for them to find her. She also owes a big apology to the black community by lying that two black men had kidnapped her and her daughter when she knew that was not true and she was Disney bound instead.

If it is a court order stating she is to payback the money spent on the wasted man hours it took then she cannot file bankruptcy.

I don't think any other person knew about her secret illegal dealings she was doing at her place of employment. I don't think her parents were aware that she had altered their check by $265 thousand either. She has involved and shamed others now that her true persona has been exposed. People like this are chameleons. That is why they are able to steal money right under the employer and spouse's nose. She was trusted..........she shouldn't have been.:furious:

It would be very advisable for Mr. Sweeten to have a professional go over all of his books on his business, which she handled solely and also their own personal accounts although I am sure the investigators are going to go through them with a fine tooth comb. They said she made high withdrawals before she skipped town.

imo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I've thought about this for a few days. I think she planned this very carefully to make it appear like she has deep mental issues.

If you can show how unstable you are to the courts, they may go easier on you... SO I think she planned out to show how unstable she is because she knew she was going to be arrested. What better way than pull something grand like this? It's not out of the realm of possibilities she 'set herself up' to seem crazy. LE should be looking at the books she's read at home. Betcha there's a fictional story out there something similar to this. Furthermore, I think the amount of stolen money is a lot higher than we realize too.

As for her friends that support her, whatever. I'd never have someone in my life like that, who could heartlessly do this to their family, especially 15 yr old daughter. The utter fear that child must have felt... it's good she has supervised visits only.

Hope that makes sense.

I noticed all the tv pundits yesterday were saying the same thing. She is trying to set up a mental illness defense when the embezzlement case goes to trial ........there is no other defense that a defense attorney can use for what she has done and IMO, that one is going to fly when donkeys do.

I agree I think the amount of money embezzled is going to be much higher than first thought. Some of the media has said it was over $300,000 and others have said it could be around a million. I think she has been at the stealing game awhile now. Maybe even years.

imo

 

[PattyCake]

TY Ocean, didn't know TV pundits were saying similar stuff. Interesting. I agree, she's probably been at this for a long time. I think she's gone about this the wrong way though. Instead of looking mental, she looks like a cunning liar.

 

[palocal]

I noticed all the tv pundits yesterday were saying the same thing. She is trying to set up a mental illness defense when the embezzlement case goes to trial ........there is no other defense that a defense attorney can use for what she has done and IMO, that one is going to fly when donkeys do.

I agree I think the amount of money embezzled is going to be much higher than first thought. Some of the media has said it was over $300,000 and others have said it could be around a million. I think she has been at the stealing game awhile now. Maybe even years.

imo

I'm willing to bet that $300,000 - a million is only scratching the surface. I wouldn't be surprised if she's into other illegal things as well.