An American will go to jail for a made-up story on GoFundMe that has collected $ 400 000 for a homeless person

Just a few days after creating a fake request with a sentimental story that demanded more than 400 000 dollars from sympathetic GoFundMe fundraising users, a Philadelphia resident wrote a prophetic text to her friend.

Photo: Kate McClure / GoFundMe

“My mom just called me and told me that people go to jail for cheating others out of money,” was the message 29-year-old Kate McClure sent to a friend in November 2017, quotes USA Today.

15 April 2019 of the Year McClure appeared before a state court to recognize her role in the fraudulent scheme in which she and her partner raised funds allegedly intended to reward the homeless, who came to help Kate when she ran out of gas on a street in Philadelphia .

Prosecutors' recommended sentence for Kate is four years in prison, Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew McDonnell said.

He said McClure also agreed to reimburse about 402 000 dollars, depending on her ability to pay. After last year’s arrest, McClure, who had previously worked at the State Department of Transportation, lost her job.

While pleading guilty to theft by deception, McClure repeatedly described herself as a "reluctant" participant in the scheme, which involved her ex-boyfriend Mark D'Amico and homeless drug addict Johnny Bobbitt Jr.

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“She was really used, just like Bobbitt—they were used by D'Amico,” McClure's lawyer, James Jarrow, said after the hearing. “The truth is that D'Amico was the one who kept doing it,” he said, noting that McClure initially hoped to raise $10 for Bobbitt.

During the interrogation in court, McClure admitted that on the GoFundMe page she described Bobbitt as a good Samaritan who spent her last 20 dollars to buy gas for her car.

“Was the gasoline story a lie?” Jarrow asked.

“Yes,” McClure replied calmly.

Her mother, Kelly McClure, watched the dialogue from the gallery of the courtroom.

The widely publicized fundraising campaign attracted more 14 000 contributors who sought to help Bobbitt turn his life on track. In the end, it all went to the luxurious life of McClure and D'Amico: she bought BMW and designer bags, traveled to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and also had a lot of fun at the casino. One New Year's vacation in Las Vegas cost more than 20 000 dollars, according to police.

McClure said she and D'Amico knew Bobbit as a trader they encountered during casinos in Philadelphia. She described D'Amico as a “holder” of donated funds and said that some money was given to Bobbitt to buy drugs.

McClure also said that for Bobbit bought a trailer and two trucks, but recorded in her name. All this was later sold, and Bobbitt received only part of the proceeds.

The money was spent in just a few months, prosecutors said.

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"I can't believe we're down to $10," McClure said in a March 2018 text message to D'Amico. “In a year you will be laughing, having squandered hundreds of thousands,” she predicted.

The fraud scheme collapsed when Bobbitt sued McClure and D'Amico in August 2018, claiming that he received only about 75 000 dollars.

McClure's court statements were made just 3 days after Bobbitt received a five-year trial period under the State Drug Court program for conspiring to commit theft by fraud. He will be treated for a long time for drug addiction in the hospital.

Both defendants were brought before the judge of the Supreme Court, Christopher Garrenger. The trial of 39-year-old D'Amico, who is accused of theft by fraud and conspiracy to commit theft by fraud, is expected. Bobbit and McClure pleaded guilty to collusion. Both are awaiting sentencing. Most likely, there will be no conditional term.

The GoFundMe project reimbursed all donations made by people for the fake campaign. McClure's verdict will be imposed on 3 Jun.

Photo: Kate McClure / GoFundMe

How it all began

This story happened in Philadelphia and at first glance it looked like this. 27-year-old Kate McClure was driving in a car, going to visit her friend when she ran out of gas on the highway at the entrance to the city.

It was a late evening outside, and the girl was confused: not a soul was around, but there was no money. While she called her fiance to come to the rescue, a homeless man named Johnny Bobbit, who lived under the bridge, came to Kate. He recommended her to close in the car more reliably, and he went to get gas. After spending his last 20 dollar bill on a gas canister, Bobbit helped Kate to refuel. She promised to return and give him a debt.

Kate and her fiancee returned the next day and gave Bobbit money. After that, regularly driving through the same place, they welcomed Johnny and gave him small amounts. After talking, the couple found out that the 34-year-old man is a former emergency doctor who was left without work and housing after problems with drugs and the law.

The young people decided to help the man, collected warm clothes for him, which he was very touched by. But then they got the idea to completely change his life. Kate has created a GoFundMe fundraising page. Its original purpose was 10 thousand dollars - for the basic needs of Bobbit. As a result, fees for 17 days amounted to thousands of dollars 384.

15 000 people donated $ 402 000 to a homeless person whose unselfish act of kindness attracted everyone’s attention.

But the couple did not give the money completely to the homeless, because, in their words, he was spending everything on drugs. After which the homeless veteran filed a lawsuit, claiming that they themselves began to spend the money that was donated to him.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Early September 2018 of the year court demanded that McClure and D'Amico provide documentationconfirming the availability of money and expenses made during the fundraising campaign.
• First the couple said the money was gone. Then all the media wrote that the homeless from Philadelphia received only about 75 000 dollars, a camper and an old pickup truck from 400 000 dollars that McClure had collected for him.
• Later it turned out that couple led a luxurious lifestyle for moneycollected for the homeless.
• Bobbitt accused a couple of stealing money for their needs - Vacation and purchase of a new car - but those charges were denied.
• The homeless and the couple McClure and D'Amico were arrested on the night of November 14 of 2018.
• A few days later Johnny Bobbitt and Kate McClure confessedthat all three were in collusion and together invented a sad story "about the Good Samaritan"which brought them more than 400 thousands of dollars in crowdfunding.

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