FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Minnesota couple claiming to be Scottish royalty will be headed back home to face welfare fraud charges.
Colin and Andrea Chisholm waived extradition in a Broward County courtroom Thursday morning, meaning they will be transferred to a Minnesota jail.
Prosecutors said the Chisholms, who called themselves "Lord" and "Lady," lied on public assistance request forms by claiming they were broke to collect nearly $170,000 in welfare payments and food stamps. All the while, prosecutors claim, they were living large in a million-dollar mansion in South Florida.
"Lord Chisholm, can you talk to us for a minute? Why did you need all that public money if you're so wealthy?" asked Local 10's Roger Lohse as the couple was escorted into the courtroom.
Neither Chisholm nor his wife responded to questions.
The Chisholms were arrested Tuesday at Port Everglades after authorities in the Bahamas sent them back to the U.S. because their visas had expired. Prosecutors said they had been on the run for three weeks.
"These rich folks ripped off the system, and I will assure you that this office is going to do every darn thing we can to make sure these people do hard time," Hennepin County, Minn., attorney Mike Freeman said.
Colin Chisholm allegedly claimed to be a cable network executive and an heir to the Scottish royalty, while his lady fancied King Charles spaniel show dogs.