The Smoking Gun kicks the crap out of James Frey.

Wowza.  I'm not done reading the article yet.  More later.

[Later.] 

Well then.  It's one thing to embellish the facts of your own arrest records, etc.  Lame but somewhat understandable, I guess.  Makes for a better story.  Higher sales and all that.  It's another thing entirely to change the details of another family's tragedy for your own personal gain.  That's just gross.

From The Smoking Gun:

When recalling criminal activities, looming prison sentences, and jailhouse rituals, Frey writes with a swaggering machismo and bravado that absolutely crackles. Which is truly impressive considering that, as TSG discovered, he made much of it up. The closest Frey has ever come to a jail cell was the few unshackled hours he once spent in a small Ohio police headquarters waiting for a buddy to post $733 cash bond.

When I say that they kicked the crap out of him, I mean that they KICKED THE CRAP OUT OF HIM.  It'll be interesting to see how the general public (i.e. fans of Oprah) will take the news.