GARLAND, Texas (AP) -- An essay that won a 6-year-old girl four tickets to a Hannah Montana concert began with the powerful line: "My daddy died this year in Iraq."
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A false essay won a 6-year-old girl four tickets to a sold-out Hannah Montana concert.
While gripping, it wasn't true -- and now the girl may lose her tickets after her mom acknowledged to contest organizers it was all a lie.
The sponsor of the contest was Club Libby Lu, a Chicago-based store that sells clothes, accessories and games intended for young girls.
The saga began Friday with company officials surprising the girl at a Club Libby Lu at a mall in suburban Garland, northeast of Dallas. The girl won a makeover that included a blonde Hannah Montana wig, as well as the grand prize: airfare for four to Albany, New York, and four tickets to the sold-out Hannah Montana concert on January 9.
The mother had told company officials that the girl's father died April 17 in a roadside bombing in Iraq, company spokeswoman Robyn Caulfield said.
"We did the essay and that's what we did to win," Priscilla Ceballos, the mother, said in an interview with Dallas TV station KDFW. "We did whatever we could do to win."
She had identified the soldier as Sgt. Jonathon Menjivar, but the Department of Defense has no record of anyone with that name dying in Iraq. Caulfield said the mother has admitted to the deception. Video Watch a reporter confront the mother »
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"We regret that the original intent of the contest, which was to make a little girl's holiday extra special, has not been realized in the way we anticipated," said Mary Drolet, the CEO of Club Libby Lu.
Drolet said the company is reviewing the matter, and is considering taking away the girl's tickets.
I am beyond livid at this!
How dare this woman LIE about loosing a loved one in this war to win her child HANNAH MONTANA TICKETS of all things? I mean for goodness sakes, yes I know my girls would LOVE to go to that concert, but I would never allow them to lie about something like that!
I feel that the "mother" in question should be charged with fraud, since she allowed her daughter to accept part of the prize before admitting that the story was false.
I did after some searching find this article
Club Libby Lu withdraws prize from girl whose essay was untrue
Associated Press - December 29, 2007 3:55 PM ET
GARLAND, Texas (AP) - A 6-year-old girl who won four tickets to a Hannah Montana concert with an essay that falsely claimed her father died in Iraq won't be going to the show after all.
The contest's sponsor, Club Libby Lu, withdrew the prize today and awarded it to another unnamed winner.
Officials with the Chicago-based chain surprised the girl yesterday at a Club Libby Lu store in a suburban Dallas mall. Club Libby Lu sells clothes, accessories and games for young girls.
But the girl's mother, Priscilla Ceballos, admitted later yesterday that the essay and the military information she provided about her daughter's father were untrue.
But I still think the "mother" needs more of a punishment than just taking away the free trip and tickets.
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