"I'm not disputing the fact that I did have to plead guilty. And when I say have to - I had to do it to save my family and my wife," Heene told King. "The threat of deportation was eminent."
Mayumi Heene is not formally a citizen of the United States. Heene closed the NBC interview with Lauer by saying, "I need to clear my name. I need everybody to know that this was not a hoax, absolutely not." Heene is set to start his jail sentence on Monday. />
