Yeah there is a particular mental issue with people who feel the need to be part of big events.
She says she didn’t do anything illegal but if she was fundraising under false pretenses perhaps it could be an issue for any charities she worked with. I don’t know what the rules are but I’m pretty sure telling fibs to get people to donate money is frowned upon.
What’s really freaky is that she must have studied up on all sorts of 9/11 survivor stories and trivia, because she fooled many people. She had to have had enough details and emotions down pat in order to last as long as she did, especially with people who know 9/11 all too well. We’re talking about her fooling people who really did work in the towers and really did survive that morning, and never had any inkling of suspicion about her (at least not publicly).
I was never deeply involved with the group, but I was a member for a few years and everyone thought the world of her — and if they didn’t, they kept it to themselves. Everyone in the group who had anything to say about her thought that she was brave, strong, dignified and gracious.
I don’t know if the group itself raised any money (and if they did, there are plenty of legitimate survivors, so it’s not like it was for a fake group), but they did get funds from other umbrella groups, as I understand it. Mostly for basic operating expenses and social gatherings (like the holiday party in her apartment building’s rooftop lounge — maybe more, but that was the only one I attended), as far as I know.
Without knowing her well, I think that this is more a matter of a desperate need for attention and respect than anything else. But, considering how much I liked and looked up to her, I could be very wrong again.
This really makes me very sad. :(