By BRUCE GOLDING
Posted: 3:55 am
November 4, 2008
A self-proclaimed "9/11 hero" who concocted tales of rescuing victims with his golden retriever is being sued by the feds for more than $35,000 in relief funds he scammed from FEMA.
A lawsuit filed yesterday by the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan accuses Scott Shields and his sister, Patricia, of falsely claiming to need the money for rent on a Rector Street apartment while living in Greenwich, Conn.
The feds are asking for three times the stolen amount plus $11,000 for each of three bogus filings. Both siblings pleaded guilty to fraud, were sentenced to eight months behind bars, and are now waiting to report to prison.
Scott Shields, 57, won accolades after claiming he and his now-deceased dog, Bear, made "the only live finds" at Ground Zero. He repeated the lie in a self-published 2003 book titled "Bear, Heart of a Hero."
The Post exposed his lies in a 2006 exclusive that also revealed he filed for bankruptcy protection four months before 9/11.
Copyright 2008 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reservedhttp://www.nypost.com/seven/11042008/news/regionalnews/dogged_9_11_scam_pursuit_136849.htm
