A GoFundMe campaign started in November of 2017 to raise money for a homeless veteran gained praise for its heartwarming story. However, it has come to light that the entire campaign was, in fact, a scam to steal money from the charitable.
Last November, Kate McClure was allegedly stranded on the side of the road after running out of gas. A homeless veteran, Johnny Bobbitt, gave her his last $20 to buy more gas, and as thanks, McClure and her boyfriend Mark D’Amico set up a GoFundMe campaign for Bobbitt. The campaign amassed over $400,000 in donations. However, according to a report from Bobbitt, the couple took the money and spent it on cars and vacations, which led to legal action between the three of them with Bobbitt demanding a portion of the money. In an even larger twist, new evidence has come to light that the entire saga, both the campaign and the legal battle, was a massive gambit by all three people to steal the money and then use the lawsuit as a smokescreen to divvy it up.
McClure, D’Amico, and Bobbitt have all been arrested and charged with second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. McClure and D’Amico surrendered themselves to police on Wednesday, but were released, while Bobbitt is still being held.
