BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — A Homer woman admitted to her role in a conspiracy to kidnap her teen daughters from foster care in Broome County Court Friday.
Cindy L. Fortner, 36, of Cold Brook Road, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of fourth-degree conspiracy, the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin reports. She is expected to be sentenced Sep. 20 to 2 to 8 years in prison.
Fortner's co-defendant, Amanda Hellman, previously pleaded guilty to a felony count of kidnapping and could spend up to 10 years in prison.
The teens were reported missing as runaways on April 27, 2015. Eleven months later, they were found at Hellman's residence in Vestal, N.Y.
Police later learned that Fortner drove to her daughters' school and brought them to Hellman's home.
Cindy Fortner
Despite being questioned several times by police investigators, Fortner managed to keep the girls' location a secret. She and Hellman were in a romantic relationship, prosecutors said, and Fortner had previously lost custody of the children to social services.
