Woman rescued by homeless man who gave his last $30, raises $570k for him in return. Source: CBS Philly
A homeless man allegedly conspired with a New Jersey couple by making up a heartwarming story to scam donors into giving them $400,000 on GoFundMe.
Kate McClure and her boyfriend Mark D'Amico, of Bordentown, New Jersey, made headlines after setting up a fundraising page for Johnny Bobbitt last year.
She said Bobbitt came to her aid and gave her his last $20 when she ran out of gas on an Interstate 95 exit ramp in Philadelphia late one night last October, the Daily Mail reports.
Johnny Bobbitt, (left), is back living on the street nine months after Mark D'Amico and Kate McClure raised $400,000 for him through a GoFundMe page because they have spent half the money. Photo / AP
More than 14,000 people donated to the GoFundMe campaign McClure and D'Amico set up as a way to give back to Bobbitt.
But now, it has been revealed that McClure, D'Amico and Bobbitt will all face charges including conspiracy and theft by deception, NBC10 reports.
They allegedly provided a false story in order to raise money for themselves, a source familiar with the case told the station.
McClure and D'Amico turned themselves in to Burlington County prosecutors on Wednesday, the source said. It was not clear if Bobbitt had turned himself in as well.
A complaint obtained by NBC10 alleged the trio conspired to make up a fake story to raise money.
This is the couple's original plea for donations on GoFundMe. They labelled the page "pay it forward". Photo / Supplied
They deliberately prevented donors from knowing information 'that would affect their judgement about solicited contribution to that fundraising effort,' the complaint claims.
After the GoFundMe campaign went viral last year, the trio appeared on shows like Good Morning America and conducted a number of interviews together.
A complaint obtained by NBC10 alleged the trio conspired to make up a fake story to raise money.
They deliberately prevented donors from knowing information 'that would affect their judgement about solicited contribution to that fundraising effort,' the complaint claims.
After the GoFundMe campaign went viral last year, the trio appeared on shows like Good Morning America and conducted a number of interviews together.
Bobbitt believes the couple began wanting to help him but that they got carried away with the amount of money raised. Photo / GoFundMe
D'Amico has said Bobbitt spent US$25,000 in less than two weeks in December on drugs, in addition to paying overdue legal bills and sending money to his family.
But in August, a judge ordered McClure and D'Amico to turn over what is left of the cash.
The couple also bought Bobbitt a camper with some of the funds and parked it on land McClure's family owns in Florence.
But Bobbitt became homeless again after D'Amico told him in June that he had to leave the property.
The couple say they paid for their trips, her new BMW and his casino trips with their salaries. He is a carpenter and she is a receptionist for the state department of transportation. Photo / Facebook
And when D'Amico appeared in court on unrelated traffic charges in September, he told a reporter that everything in the GoFundMe case would soon become 'crystal clear.'
His and McClure's rural New Jersey home was raided by investigators executing a search warrant. Among other items, authorities hauled away a new BMW on a flatbed truck.
