Tawana Brawley Begins Pay Out for Rape Hoax

The New York woman who falsely accused six white men of a racially motivated rape and assault in 1987 has been paying restitution to a prosecutor since February for defamation, reports the Poughkeepsie Journal .

Tawana Brawley sparked a racial firestorm fanned by a young Rev. Al Sharpton nearly three decades ago when she went public with her accusations. Several law enforcement officers were among those she said attacked her.

Brawley was found after the alleged rape naked with the words "n****r" and "b***h" written on her body with feces.

Since February, Brawley has been making payments to Steve Pagones, a former prosecutor named by her. She now works as a nurse in Richmond, Va. Sharpton has also made restitution payments but told the New York Times in June, "it's clear that something wrong happened."

Brawley also accused part-time Fishkill Police Officer Harry Crist, who committed suicide four days after she went public with the allegation. Crist killed himself after breaking up with a girlfriend and flunking the state police exam, reports the New York Post .

Scott Patterson, a New York trooper, was also among those accused by Brawley. At the time of the accusation, Patterson declined to be interviewed by the New York Times . He told investigators he was driving Crist home at the time of the alleged attack.