Trade Centre survivors accused of conning Red Cross
A dozen cafeteria workers who escaped the World Trade Centre attacks have been accused of conning thousands of dollars from the Red Cross.
The workers at the Port Authority cafe escaped unhurt from the north tower. They lost no pay and were immediately assigned to new jobs.
But New York prosecutors say they have told fake sob stories to Red Cross workers about losing their jobs.
They have walked out of the disaster assistance centre - some repeatedly - with relief cheques or hundreds of dollars in cash, said Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.
The total taken was less than £10,000 and the largest single amount was the £1,660 allegedly given to Janet McDonald, the cafeteria's £47,460-a-year boss.
"Their own co-workers turned them in," said Port Authority Inspector General Robert Van Etten.
Each faces up to seven years in prison for grand larceny and falsifying business records.
