Police hold gay man wanted in 9/11 scam

Police in Dallas have captured Patric Henn, a gay man accused of defrauding 9/11 relief agencies of $68,000.

Henn was arrested on Friday for petty theft and marijuana possession, the Associated Press reports. Once the 28-year-old was in custody, authorities learned that Henn had a warrant out for his arrest on fraud charges from Broward County, Fla.

Henn's duplicity came to light a few months after the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center, during a period when the GLBT community was advocating for equal treatment of gay and lesbian survivors. By December, Henn had already tapped the Red Cross for thousands in cash, as well as hotel and guest house fees. Henn had claimed that his wealthy life partner had died in the tragedy, and the local Red Cross had assumed that his story had been confirmed by the national office.

While living in Florida, Henn approached a local gay and lesbian newspaper, The Express, with a tale of mistreatment. New York's Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) had refused to help him, Henn insisted. After a cursory check of the facts, however, The Express grew suspicious.

According to Matt Foreman, former Executive Director of ESPA, Henn had not been able to provide "one scrap of information to document his relationship." Nonetheless, Foreman authorized a check for $1,000 and cashed it personally, since Henn did not have a bank account. As The Express continued to investigate, it found more and more holes in Henn's story, most notably that Henn's alleged partner, Jeff John Anderson, did not appear on any victim list, and did not even appear to exist.

Based on The Express inquiry, a local judge issued an arrest warrant. By that time, however, Henn was nowhere to be found.

According to the A.P., Henn will face Texas justice for the theft and drug offenses, before being extradited to Florida for the fraud charges. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

Express publisher Norm Kent said the paper, and the community, tried to track Henn's whereabouts in the last year. Several tipsters called The Express with Henn sightings in Denver and other cities. The pursuit, Kent told the A.P., was important, "because (we) didn't want him to poison a just human rights initiative. He's a criminal first, and then a gay man."