About the Articles Linked Below

Honestly, I don't know how I feel about the news below.

Some of you may know that a few years ago, I did some volunteer work for Scott's Bear Search and Rescue Foundation. So, this is disappointing news about someone I know personally. While I knew that Scott had a tendency to exaggerate his efforts post-9/11, I never imagined this. Some other things I've learned in the past few months are a bit unsettling as well. Some of these can be found in Nancy West's Author's Comments on Amazon.com.

9/11 'HERO' CHARGED IN 40G SCAM

9/11 'HERO' CHARGED IN 40G SCAM By BRAD HAMILTON and GINGER OTIS New York News New York City News NY News:

By BRAD HAMILTON and GINGER OTIS
July 15, 2007 -- A self-proclaimed Ground Zero hero who says he and his golden retriever rescued victims from the World Trace Center rubble has been charged with fraud for allegedly ripping off $40,000 in federal relief funds.

Scott Shields could face up to 35 years in jail after a Manhattan grand jury indicted him and his sister last month for allegedly swiping rental-assistance money from FEMA and other agencies.

Shields showed up in the days after the attack, accompanied by Bear, his cancer-stricken canine, but the dog was too sick to do any real work, and the two were on hand only for 'a couple of days,' according to a former NYPD officer.

'There's something wrong with the guy,' said Lt. Dan Denadio, who as head of the NYPD's K-9 unit spent nine months at Ground Zero. 'I don't know how he got so far.'

Shields claims he and Bear 'made the only live finds' at the site.

'Nonsense,' Denadio said.

The rest of the article can be found here.

N.Y. indicts 9/11 responder- NJ.com

N.Y. indicts 9/11 responder- NJ.com:

W. Windsor man is accused of bilking FEMA out of nearly $40,000
Thursday, July 19, 2007

BY DARRYL R. ISHERWOOD
A West Windsor man who rose to prominence with stories of his dog's heroic exploits while searching for victims of the World Trade Center collapse has been indicted in New York for allegedly stealing federal Sept. 11 relief money.

Scott Shields, who has claimed that his Golden retriever Bear was responsible for finding the most victims of any search and rescue dog working the World Trade Center debris known as the pile, allegedly bilked the Federal Emergency Management Agency out of some $38,906 in rental assistance funds, according to the indictment from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The rest of the article can be found here.