[Alberta's Child]

The Chicago Police spent resources investigating the "attack" that they otherwise would not have spent.

That's not fraud ... because Smellitt didn't put any of that money in his pocket. And those police would have been paid anyway.

If he had staged a fake hate crime and then claimed reward money for turning in another perp, on the other hand, then fraud would absolutely be a legitimate charge.

[ml/nj]

You have a strange notion that financial gain is the only sort of gain that one might seek; or that "gain" of any sort is necessary to be charged with criminal fraud.

Have a look around www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-47. (These are Federal statutes.) And please leave me alone.

ML/NJ