Prosecutor: Couple, homeless vet bilked public with made-up story on act of kindness

Carol Comegno | Cherry Hill Courier-Post

Show Caption Hide Caption Homeless man and couple allegedly made up story for GoFundMe A couple from New Jersey and a homeless man are now facing charges after allegedly conspiring to make up a false story for GoFundMe donations according to a complaint obtained by NBC Philadelphia.

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. – It was a feel-good story that was too good to be true, authorities say.

Prosecutors on Thursday announced they filed criminal charges against a Burlington County couple and a homeless veteran at the center of an online crowdfunding campaign that captured thousands of people's hearts through lies and deception.

The Burlington County (New Jersey) Prosecutor's Office has charged Katelyn McClure and Mark D'Amico, both of Florence, New Jersey, with theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft in connection with the viral story of a homeless Samaritan's supposed act of kindness.

The man described by the couple as a good Samaritan, 35-year-old Johnny Bobbitt Jr., was charged with the same crimes.

Officials say the trio concocted a fictitious story meant to tug at peoples' heartstrings and prompt them to donate to a crowdfunding campaign.

Bobbitt came into the spotlight last November after the couple started sharing a story of the man coming to McClure's rescue.

McClure had reportedly run out of gas on an Interstate 295 exit ramp in Philadelphia. Bobbitt, a homeless U.S. Marine, used his last $20 to buy fuel for the woman and get her back on the road, they claimed.

McClure and her boyfriend, D'Amico, then returned to give Bobbitt gifts and money as a thank you and set up a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe.

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The goal was to raise $10,000 for Bobbitt to help get his life turned around by providing enough money for him to secure an apartment, car and some living expenses, they said.

But Bobbitt's story went viral, and 14,347 donors contributed a total of $402,706 to the cause over a 32-day period as it captured international media attention.

"The entire campaign was predicated on a lie," Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said Thursday.

McClure texted her best friend an hour after the GoFundMe campaign went live to say the story was "completely made up," according to evidence revealed in court papers Thursday.

Officials said Bobbitt and McClure didn't have a chance meeting caused by her car running out of gas. Instead, Bobbitt met the couple "at least a month prior to the date of the GoFundMe campaign's launch," Coffina said, "as they had become acquainted with him during their frequent trips to a local gambling casino."

A timeline of the case, provided by the prosecutor's office, says McClure and D'Amico discussed in text messages on Oct. 16, 2017, "the homeless guy they see by" SugarHouse Casino.

Coffina said Bobbitt was a willing participant in the conspiracy to defraud kindhearted people who'd want to help.

“Let me say this about Johnny Bobbitt: He deserves our appreciation for his willingness to serve our country in the U.S. Marines ... but it is imperative to keep in mind he was fully compliant" in the scheme, the prosecutor said.

Coffina said his office examined more than 60,000 text messages and thousands of pages of financial documents that it subpoenaed to piece together what happened to the donations.

“He has our sympathy and concern for the homeless he experienced ... We feel for him. I hope Johnny finds a way to get himself well.”

D’Amico and McClure used the money to buy a BMW and “high-end” handbags, take multiple vacations including a New Year’s trip to Las Vegas and a Grand Canyon helicopter tour, and pay off personal debts to family members, the prosecutor said. More than $85,000 was withdrawn near casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Bensalem, Pennsylvania, authorities said.

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Just a few months after the GoFundMe was launched, all of the money had been spent, Coffina said.

In a March 2018 text exchange, the prosecutor noted, McClure “lamented” that the couple had less than $10,000 left.

“But D’Amico wasn’t worried,” the prosecutor said, noting he was certain the “payday from the book deal they were pursuing would dwarf the money generated by the GoFundMe campaign.”

By the end of March, authorities said, every last penny of the $367,108.81 distributed to McClure and D'Amico by GoFundMe was gone.

The relationship among the trio soured in August when an attorney representing Bobbitt filed a civil suit claiming McClure and D'Amico hadn't given him nearly $200,000 of the donation fund.

The couple was ordered to turn over to their attorney all remaining money and provide an accounting of the money spent and what was left.

That didn't happen, though, and the judge considered – but ultimately decided against – charging McClure and D'Amico with contempt of court.

Coffina said he had no idea why Bobbitt would file a lawsuit against the couple knowing that the GoFundMe campaign was a lie.

“Filing a lawsuit was a miscalculation on his part," Coffina said.

Even after the dispute became public, D’Amico still had confidence another windfall would come to him, Coffina said. The prosecutor said D’Amico pitched a title for a book that would address the controversy: “No Good Deed.”

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But by September, it became clear that law enforcement was looking into what happened to the money. The prosecutor's office on Sept. 6 executed a search warrant at the couple's Cedar Lane Extension home as part of a criminal investigation, seizing a vehicle, jewelry and other items, according to court papers. During the search, authorities found 12 newly purchased designer handbags among other luxury items, court documents said.

That evidence and related investigation allowed authorities to confirm the stranded-motorist story "was a complete fabrication" and the GoFundMe campaign was a "calculated and orchestrated attempt" by D'Amico, McClure and Bobbitt to deceive donors, authorities said in court papers.

D'Amico and McClure surrendered to authorities Wednesday night and were released after being processed. Bobbitt, who lives in Philadelphia's Kensington section, was arrested in the city Wednesday by members of two U.S. Marshals task forces; he remains in jail pending an extradition hearing.

Each of the charges can result in a prison sentence of five to 10 years, if convicted.

All of the donations will be refunded, GoFundMe said Thursday.

"While this type of behavior by an individual is extremely rare, it's unacceptable and clearly it has consequences. Committing fraud, whether it takes place on or offline is against the law," said spokesman Bobby Whithorne.

Whithorne said refunds will be processed "in the coming days."

“A case like this can make generous people skeptical," Coffina said. "People should use common sense when donating."

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