Members of Fort Lauderdale's gay community are expressing outrage over the case of Patric Henn, a man who may have reaped tens of thousands in Sept. 11 survivor benefits for a lost companion who did not exist.

Henn filed a relief claim with the American Red Cross, petitioned a New York gay rights group and telephoned a Wilton Manors gay-community newspaper to share the story of his domestic partner who had died in the World Trade Center, according to officials from those agencies.

But holes in his story prompted a months-long investigation by The Express newspaper, whose reporter could not find any trace of that companion -- living or dead. Henn's case is now under review by the Red Cross.

''We went out and reviewed everything he said, and we found him to be a colossal fraud,'' said Norm Kent, author of a lengthy investigative story on Henn published last month in The Express.

''It's not a gay or straight issue,'' Kent said. ``First and foremost, he's a crook, a criminal and a con artist. And he should be prosecuted for it. What infuriates the gay community is, he falsely tried to use homosexuality as a vehicle.''

An Express story said New York City police are investigating Henn.

Henn, 27, could not be located for comment.

He told The Express he was living in South Beach on Sept. 11 when his companion, Jeff John Anderson, entered the World Trade Center to visit a brokerage.

''He called me a little after 8 a.m. from his cellphone to say he was there at the World Trade Center,'' Henn told the paper. Henn said it was the last he heard from his partner.

Henn parlayed that story into at least $25,000 in aid from the Red Cross and Safe Horizon, including a new apartment on Middle River Terrace in Fort Lauderdale, according to aid workers and Henn's account to The Express.

The case illustrates the challenge faced by charities responding to the massive demand for aid after Sept. 11. Caseworkers, overwhelmed by claims, struggled to document claims even as they rushed to hand out relief.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Henn was among more than 100 people under investigation around the country for allegedly bilking charities out of more than $1 million in aid earmarked for World Trade Center relief.

Red Cross officials in Broward inherited Henn's claim from the national office in New York and assumed it had already been documented. The New York gay rights group Empire State Pride Agenda lent Henn $1,000 from its general funds before officials there became wary of his story.

''We were right in the heart of dealing with people who had lost their partners,'' said Joe Tarver, spokesman for the group. ``Over time, everyone was able to get their paperwork together. Everyone else's case fell into place. His didn't. We confronted him with that, and he became very angry and accusatory.''

Henn contacted the Wilton Manors paper to complain that the gay community was denying him the aid he needed to recover from the loss of his partner.

But when The Express attempted to corroborate Henn's story, it began to unravel.

There was no record for a man with the name, birth date or Social Security number of Henn's alleged partner, Jeff John Andersen.

Andersen's name does not appear on any official list of 9/11 casualties, according to The Express. Confronted with those facts by the newspaper, Henn replied that his companion had been confused with Kermit Andersen -- a married, 57-year-old systems analyst from New Jersey.

Henn reportedly admitted to the newspaper that he was the one who added Jeff John Andersen's name to www.911-remember.com, an unofficial survivor list.

When an aid agency confronted Henn, he said he would have Andersen's 83-year-old mother go to New York and sign forms.

But when the time came, according to The Express, Henn told aid workers the woman had left ``for a safari to North Africa and could no longer be reached.''