I just watched an old episode of L&O CI. I looked it up it was titled
Faith - orig. air date April 28,2002. Before it began it said based
on true events. The story was about a book author, a little girl named
Erica. Although, we never see Erica. It turns out E is really an adult
posing as E's foster mother. Does this ring any bells? I am wondering
what true story this was based on.
TIA

I don't remember any details, but I do vaguely remember a story about someone arrested for taking a lot of people for money for a terminally ill child who didn't exist. Sorry, I can't give you any specifics. But I'm sure someone out there remembers it.

Mabey:



MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- PamelaGraham and Geralyn Graham, the caretakers of Rilya Wilson, a missingFlorida girl, were arrested Wednesday and charged with publicassistance fraud.

I saw this episode fairly recently and it reminded me of "The Night Listener", a recent movie starring Robin Williams. It was based on a novel by the same name by Armistead Maupin who based it on the 1993 memoirs of Anthony Godby Johnson A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story. Anthony ended up being a hoax. Wikipedia says "The story also was adapted for a 2002 episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent entitled Faith, with the child's sex being changed to female and illness to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis."


I loved this episode, by the way.