Disgraced German reporter now being investigated for possible donation fraud

A German journalist who was found to have made up information for numerous articles — including one about Minnesota — is now being investigated in connection with allegedly soliciting donations for Syrian orphans from his readers.

The German magazine Der Spiegel said Sunday that its award-winning former reporter, Claas Relotius, had asked readers by email from his private account for donations to be transferred to his personal bank account.

Der Spiegel said it's not clear how many people donated money, how much Relotius collected or what happened to the money. But the magazine said it will press charges and will work with prosecutors to find out the details.

Der Spiegel announced Wednesday that Relotius, 33, who worked first as a freelancer and later full-time, had fabricated interviews and facts in at least 14 articles. It has since fired him.

Among the articles with fabricated material was a feature Relotius wrote about residents of Fergus Falls, Minn., who support President Trump. Two residents of Fergus Falls wrote a lengthy rebuttal to Relotius' article, exposing errors and fabricated interviews.