All a hoax: GoFundMe couple and homeless man staged ‘Good Samaritan’ act
There is a new twist in the story about a couple that claimed to be raising money for a homeless veteran through a GoFundMe campaign.
Kate McClure and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, raised more than $400,000 for homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt.
The couple caused controversy for taking the money instead of giving it to Bobbitt.
In August, Bobbitt, 35, filed a lawsuit accusing McClure and D’Amico of committing fraud by taking more than half of the money they raised for themselves. His attorney alleged in court papers that the couple treated the donations like their “personal piggy bank to fund a lifestyle that they could not otherwise afford.”
In September, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal investigation into the missing GoFundMe donations and raided the couple’s home, seizing a BMW and other belongings.
D’Amico and McClure denied the allegations.
According to ABC News, Bobbitt has now been arrested in connection with the money-raising effort which now appears to be an elaborate scam.
Bobbitt was arrested Wednesday night by the Philadelphia Police Department on charges of being a fugitive from justice, according to the Philadelphia police. He has been transferred to Burlington County, New Jersey, to face charges related to the GoFundMe case.
McClure, 28, and D’Amico, 39, were both arrested on Wednesday and were charged with conspiracy and theft by deception, according to court records.
How it all began
McClure claimed she was driving to meet a friend in September 2017 when she ran out of gas around midnight on the I-95 exit ramp near Philadelphia and Bobbitt, who was sleeping under a nearby overpass, came to her rescue. She claimed Bobbitt spent his last $20 to buy her gas.
She said Bobbitt used his panhandling money to get her out of the jam.
Hoping to repay Bobbitt for the apparent generous act, McClure and D’Amico set up a GoFundMe online account that tugged at people’s hearts and wallets.
Now it’s unclear about what parts of that story, if any, are true.
Prosecutors said they would not discuss the case until Thursday afternoon.
