Some people..
Strange. If you have ever seen the Todd Solondz movie "Palindromes" you'd know Aviva used a similar lie.
'Boy's' past catches up
L.B. gossip blogger appears in Florida court
By Phillip Zonkel, Staff Writer Long Beach Press Telegram
Article Launched: 08/09/2008 10:39:33 PM PDT
LONG BEACH - Patric Ian Henn, the flamboyant Long Beach gossip blogger known as "Boy About Town" who fled Florida in the wake of a 9-11 grand theft conviction, appeared in a Sunshine State courtroom Thursday for a violation of probation hearing.
Henn, whose blog and video segments had focused on Long Beach society, politics and the gay community, as well as Hollywood, was arrested in Long Beach on July 12 and extradited to Florida, where he was wanted on a fugitive arrest warrant.
Henn denied violating his probation, and a second hearing is scheduled for Nov. 25.
The Broward County Public Defenders Office could not be reached for comment.
The 33-year-old Henn violated his probation and failed to repay money received from the American Red Cross following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, according to Florida Department of Corrections records.
Henn pleaded guilty in 2005 to second degree grand theft after he had claimed his domestic partner had died in the 9-11 attack. Henn admitted that he made up the entire story and that the boyfriend never existed.
The American Red Cross had given Henn more than $68,000 in benefits, including a check to help pay for the funeral of the bogus boyfriend.
Henn's scheme fell apart after The Express, a south Florida gay newspaper, revealed the fraud.
A judge sentenced Henn to 22 years in prison, followed by 12 years of probation. He served a little more than two years of jail and prison time before being released in November 2006, probably for good behavior, according to Gretl Plessinger, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections.
Once released, Henn was required to pay back $25,954 in restitution, serve 600 hours of community service and stay on probation until May 2019, according to corrections and court records.
But in April 2007, Henn left his Fort Lauderdale, Fla., residence without permission, still owing $25,954 in restitution, according to corrections and court records.
Henn made his way to Long Beach late last year, trying to leave his past and create a new identity with his "Boy About Town" blog, www.boysbuzz.net.
Henn never told anyone his full name, introducing himself only as "Boy About Town" or Patric, according to sources he interviewed for his blog and local businesses he solicited for advertising.
In June, Henn revealed his real name to an acquaintance, who searched the Internet and found Henn's checkered past. Word spread about Henn's real identity, and eventually the Long Beach Police Department got an anonymous tip and arrested him at his boyfriend's residence in the 800 block of Ocean Boulevard.
The 9-11 connection
Henn initiated his grand theft scheme immediately after 9-11. Two days after the attack, Henn filed a missing persons report with the New York City Police Department.
Henn attempted to collect death benefits from the American Red Cross in New York City and Broward County Florida, where Henn resided, according to published reports.
Henn told the American Red Cross that he and Jeff John Andersen had been together four years and lived an opulent lifestyle in South Florida. Henn said he had been talking on the phone with Andersen, who had been visiting a brokerage house in the World Trade Center to iron out family finances, when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, according to published reports.
Henn also told the American Red Cross he couldn't get access to their joint bank account, according to published reports.
The American Red Cross gave Henn $44,000 in checks, including money to pay at least two months rent and a security deposit for a South Florida apartment. Henn also was given money to help pay for the funeral of the boyfriend who had never existed, according to published reports.
At various times, Henn showed up in-person, or screamed on the phone, at the American Red Cross' Broward County chapter, demanding more money, according to published reports.
Messages left at the American Red Cross' Broward County Chapter asking how Henn could have received benefits without verification of his claims were not returned.
Henn also contacted New York's Empire State Pride Agenda, a civil rights group for gays and lesbians. The organization, recognizing that gay and lesbians might be treated unfairly by relief agencies because their unions were not legally recognized marriages, had been advocating for gays and lesbians who lost partners in the World Trade Center.
Henn sought help from the group in securing a death certificate for Andersen, according to published reports.
ESPA staff, however, could not find any documentation confirming Henn's relationship with Andersen, Andersen's death or existence.
ESPA staff confronted Henn in a November phone call and asked for proof of his relationship with Andersen. Henn demanded money from the group, otherwise he would contact the gay media and say ESPA wasn't helping him, according to published reports.
Henn stopped contacting ESPA, but, in February 2002, contacted The Express, a South Florida gay newspaper.
Story contradictions
Henn told a sad story about loss and injustice, complaining about ESPA and praising the American Red Cross, but his attempt backfired.
Express publisher Norm Kent was skeptical. He didn't understand why Henn would need the financial assistance if he and Andersen lived a lavish lifestyle.
When the Express staff asked to see financial records, pictures or other documents verifying his relationship with the deceased man, Henn said all the materials were in storage.
The Express staff was not convinced and ran an investigative expose revealing Henn's money scam and hoax about the dead boyfriend who had never existed.
In December 2002, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Henn, who was arrested six months later in Dallas. He was extradited to Florida and posted a $5,000 bond, only to flee again.
In Oct. 2004, Henn was arrested in Texas a second time and extradited to Florida. This time he was held without bail.
In January 2005, Henn pleaded guilty to second degree grand theft, but never publicly explained what he did with the more than $68,000 he received from the American Red Cross or why he did it.
In a separate hearing, Henn was ordered to pay $25,954 in restitution, according to court documents.
Henn served almost two years of his sentence and was released in Nov. 2006. He left in May 2007 and made his way to Long Beach.
'Patric' of Palm Springs
Ruben Gonzalez Jr., 46, Henn's boyfriend, said he first met Henn last October.
When they met, Henn introduced himself as "Patric" and said he was from Palm Springs and had lived in Florida, Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez says he "knew nothing about Patric's past problems." In a later interview, Gonzalez said that "from the very start, Patric had told me he had gone to prison. He told me to Google him, and I did. I knew he went to prison, and I knew why.
"That was his past. I chose to not judge him, but I did not know he was on a probation violation," Gonzalez said.
"We've all made mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance, everyone," Gonzalez said, who said he and Henn are planning to get married. "I don't know the Patric from the past. The Patric I know is the one now.
"I miss him terribly. I love that man," Gonzalez said. I love his humor and his drive and his interaction with community."
Henn tried to leave his past and create a new identity. But for someone running from the law, he went out of his way to be in the public eye.
In January, Henn introduced his new identity, "Boy About Town" on the local cable-access program "The Sonny Bozeman Show" and then on his blog, www.boysbuzz.net.
Henn never told anyone his full name, introducing himself only as "Boy About Town" or Patric, according to Sonny Bozeman and sources Henn interviewed for his blog and local businesses he sought for advertising.
Henn said he was in the process of legally changing his name to "Boy About Town."
Gonzalez said that Henn introduced himself as "Boy About Town" as a "marketing strategy to brand himself."
Henn hit Long Beach as a flamboyant, social scene gossip who carried an oversized plastic red purse and was accompanied by a cameraman.
He covered the July grand opening of Hamburger Mary's, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Pride events and a variety of ribbon cuttings and fundraisers.
But many people didn't like his on-and-off-camera identity and aggressive attitude, according to people he worked with and sources he met and interviewed at various events.
They said he was a "prima donna" and "verbally abusive."
Gonzalez also said Henn could be difficult to work with and be around.
"Patric was detail orientated. He would get stressed, and he would yell at times," Gonzalez said.
Fallout over identity
In June, Henn also yelled at a former colleague who confronted Henn about his real identity.
Henn said "What you're reading isn't true. It's the media" and "It wasn't that big of a crime," said the former co-worker.
Henn also said that his probation officer told him to leave Florida because it was cheaper for the department of corrections if they didn't have to complete his paperwork, the former co-worker said.
But when Henn was told he would be reported to the police, the co-worker said Henn went "ballistic" and said, "How would you like it if I put gasoline on your front porch?"
Henn was arrested July 12 and word spread about his identity fallout.
"The whole thing was a sham. He's not Boy About Town. He's Patric who ran from Florida and ripped off the Red Cross," said Merry Colvin, owner of Merry's on Broadway, who was interviewed by Henn for his blog.
"And the gay community he's supposed to be supporting here in Long Beach? He exploited the gay community in Florida and exploited his sexuality to scam money from the Red Cross," she said. "How do we know he wasn't doing the same thing here?"