Stupid, Stupid, Stupid
(or, Seeking Fortune and Fame)
One Patric Ian Henn, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, got caught
red-handed in a disturbing five-figure fraud a few years ago. Sentenced to two
years in prison and twelve years of probation, the moment his two years in the
slammer were up he skipped town (and his probation). You'd think a smart (and
very openly gay) crook on the lam would dodge the limelight at any cost. Oh, but
no, not this flaming felon.
The felony for which he was tried and convicted was defrauding the American
Red Cross of $68,000. You see, he posed as the domestic partner of a
9/11 disaster victim! He was caught out and sentenced by a
Broward County, Florida judge to 2 1/2 years in jail and 12 1/2 years probation.
Speed up to his release in 2006 and instead of hanging around and re-paying the
scammed funds, as promised, he decided it'd be better to "go west, young man."
Not only did Henn, 33, establish a new identity for himself, he established a
fun new career. He started a video blog called "Boy About Town" and decided to
start showing up at celebrity parties, movie openings and other star-studded
affairs with microphone in hand, often appearing on-camera with various B-list
Hollywood personalities. Long Beach, California police caught up with the
flamboyant self-proclaimed Internet gossip columnist and promptly extradited him
back to Florida, where he faces some serious jail time.
Well, in the words of Andy Warhol, he did get his "fifteen minutes
of fame." And years behind bars to think about it.
A NOTE FROM THE WRITER: WTF?!! Downvotes? Does that mean that those readers would rather that this criminal get away with his misdeeds unpunished? Would that the downvoters had explained their actions; that's a fantasy around here. Should one think that I'm homophobic or such, one merely need read my homenode to discover that I'm a contributing member of the E2 usergroup outies.
My final thought is downright paranoid. Are there indeed members of our delightful community who'd take pleasure in seeing this man defraud a helpful organization of funds intended for mothers and children (or, heck, significant others)?!