When "they" claimed that he had been cut off by his family for being gay and told great sob stories of finding him a new school and him needing clothes and supplies? I vaguely remember a fund being set up.
If so, then this is fraud and it must be prosecuted.
I know people are fed up about the ongoing "soap opera" being dragged out, but this type of fraud (if it has been committed) is a very big deal and it must be addressed or it will get out of hand. (How will we ever be able to trust another plea for money on DailyKos? But then again maybe we shouldn't.)
Most of the diaries have been deleted that would indicate if a fund had been set up, but there is google cache, so there's still a trail.
If you sent any money, please speak up.
Moreover, there's lots of talk of forgiveness and that this is a very mixed up kid and we need to show compassion, but the truth is, we know absolutely nothing about him.
At most he is just a voice on a phone , a voice that could be someone else in on the con or a voice that could have been hired. (Google "JT LeRoy" and learn about a fake author who would actually make public appearances--someone who had been hired)
We have no idea who or how many people are behind "The Nephew" and "The Aunt" and we have no idea what they're up to. (For example, they could be using information gathered in personal communications to steal identities.)
Someone has even suggested that he (or they) could have been hired by right wingers to turn people against on this site, a move I think Karl Rove would be proud of. (Do you really think Teabaggers aren't capable of this?) It could be true. We don't know. But we need to find out.
Making threats against people is drastic, and that's the only true thing we know about "The Nephew"--that he (or they) did these things. What else would someone who does this be capable of?
We need to stop being naive. We need to stop being the perfect "marks."
"The Nephew" in his (or their) plea for mercy may still be playing us.
And first and foremost,if anyone sent him some money as a result of this fraud, he must be prosecuted. Or we will never be ever to trust a plea for help again.