Homeless veteran who helped stranded woman says he can't get GoFundMe cash from couple

[Teh One Who Knocks]

FOX News


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A homeless veteran in Philadelphia who made headlines last year after he used his last $20 to help a stranded stranger fill up her car's gas tank said he has no access to the money raised on GoFundMe.

GoFundMe is investigating whether the money was mismanaged.
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Johnny Bobbitt gained worldwide attention when he used his last $20 to fill up the gas tank of stranded motorist Kate McClure.

McClure and her boyfriend Mark D'Amico started a GoFundMe campaign in return, promising that Bobbitt would have a home.

Bobbitt told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he can't use the $200,000 left out of the $400,000 that donors raised on GoFundMe, and he no longer has a camper or a car.

McClure said the couple did all they could to help Bobbitt. The couple and Bobbitt once had a warm relationship with Bobbitt, but now they may be headed to court, the report said.

In an interview with the Inquirer last week, D'Amico said he controls the money and will start dispensing it when Bobbitt gets a job and stops using drugs.

"Giving him all that money, it's never going to happen. I'll burn it in front of him," he said, adding that giving an "addict" the money would be like "giving him a loaded gun."

Bobbitt admitted to the paper that the couple once gave him $25,000 and he spent it on giving it to relatives and friends, and some on drugs.

Bobbitt questions the couple's motives and fears they may have squandered the money. He also questions if the couple has the legal authority to deny him the funds.

"I think it might have been good intentions in the beginning, but with that amount of money, I think it became greed." Bobbitt said.

Bobbitt raised suspicions over how McClure, a receptionist, is now driving a new BMW. The couple said the car was paid from their own money.

GoFundMe said it will work to ensure Bobbitt "receives the help he deserves and that the donors' intentions are honored."

The couple insists they did nothing wrong and that they did all they could to help Bobbitt.

“Write what you want.” D’Amico told the paper last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

[RBP]

wait wait... $200,000 of $400,000? So where's the $200k?

[deebakes]

overhead :shrug:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Joe Tacopino | New York Post


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A New Jersey couple must hand over what remains of the $400,000 they raised for a homeless Philadelphia man, a report said.

Katie McClure and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, had to give all the funds to their lawyer — after they had raised the dough through a GoFundMe campaignfor Johnny Bobbit, according to Philadelphia’s NBC10.

The lawyer was directed to place the funds into an escrow account as the case continues, the report said

The judge also has ordered McClure and D’Amico to provide a full accounting of the money they raised.

Bobbit had gained worldwide attention after he spent his last $20 to help a McClure buy gas last fall.

The couple started the campaign for Bobbitt with the goal of raising $10,000 — a target they quickly surpassed when their fundraiser went viral.

But once the money started coming in, they said Bobbitt was blowing it on drugs and tried to withhold it for his own benefit.

The couple claimed they’ve spent half the funds on housing and other expenses for Bobbitt

Bobbit once blew through $25,000 cash in under two weeks, they claimed to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The homeless veteran then filed a lawsuit to stop the couple from spending what remains from the GoFundMe campaign.

[deebakes]

:ffs:

[RBP]

The whole GoFundMe thing is generally out of control.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Benjamin Brown | Fox News


The $400,000 raised through a GoFundMe account to support a homeless veteran in Philadelphia after he gave his last bit of money to help a stranded motorist is reportedly drained.

A Lawyer representing Johnny Bobbitt, whose story garnered national attention last year after he gave Kate McClure his last $20 to fill up her gas tank, told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that news of the depleted account “came as a complete surprise.”

Chris Fallon, the lawyer, said he became aware of the financial standing of his client’s account after a conference call with attorneys for McClure and her boyfriend Mark D’Amico – the couple who started the GoFundMe account for Bobbitt after his kind gesture, promising him a home.

"It completely shocked me when I heard," Fallon told the paper.

Bobbitt’s attorneys requested that the couple remain in New Jersey, surrender their passports, post a bond and restrict access to their bank accounts after they failed to meet a court-ordered deadline to deliver any remaining money from the GoFundMe account, according to the paper.

Last week, Superior Court Judge Paula T. Dow ordered the couple to wire the remaining funds to a trust for Bobbitt, and submit an accounting report of the donated money within 24 hours.

Bobbitt has received roughly $75,000 dollars of the funds, which he used to purchase a camper and SUV – both of which he no longer has, the paper reported.

D’Amico told the paper during an interview in August that the he controls the money in the account, and that he would dispense the funds when Bobbitt gets a job and stops using drugs.

"Giving him all that money, it's never going to happen. I'll burn it in front of him," he said, adding that giving an "addict" the money would be like "giving him a loaded gun."

Bobbitt admitted to the paper that the couple once gave him $25,000 and he spent it on giving it to relatives and friends, and some on drugs.

Fallon told the paper on Tuesday that his client hopes to enter a residential detoxification program.

Bobbitt, who questions the couple's motives and fears they may have squandered the money, claims they used the funds to buy a new BMW and take lavish vacations. He also questions if the couple has the legal authority to deny him the money.

Three lawyers are representing Bobbitt pro bono.

Jacqueline Promislo, another lawyer for Bobbitt said the couple’s lawyer, Ernest E. Badway, never responded regarding the request to transfer the remaining GoFundMe funds or if the money had been moved, according to the paper.

The paper could not reach McLure or D’Amico for comment.

Badway declined to comment to Fox News late Tuesday.

The couple earlier said the new car was paid for with their own money. McLure, who is a receptionist, and D’Amico, who is a carpenter, said they have done nothing wrong and did everything they could to help Bobbitt.

Badway claimed in court last week that Bobbitt stole at least $200,000 of the funds since the account was created, the paper reported. He also argued the court-order to wire the money within 24 hours was a “harsh remedy.”

A hearing regarding the disputed funds is scheduled to take place Wednesday at 10 a.m., the paper reported.

GoFundMe has donated $20,000 into an escrow account created by Bobbitt’s attorneys to help with housing and goods as the legal proceedings continue, a spokesman told the paper on Tuesday.

The company also said it is cooperating with the investigation.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Lovely

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You know, they kept saying that they started this fund for the homeless guy yet they don't want to give him the money because he would waste it. I'm sorry, but I really don't think that's their call. It's his money, not theirs and they have no right to dictate how he spends it. If he wants to waste it all, that's on him. I hope that he sues them because it sure sounds like they blew through what was supposed to be his money.

[deebakes]

give him the monies! :x

[Teh One Who Knocks]

FOX News


Police investigating a New Jersey couple ordered by a judge to appear in court to explain what happened to the $400,000 they raised online for a homeless Good Samaritan had their home raided by authorities Thursday morning.

Footage taken from the scene showed a shiny, black BMW car being towed away from the Bordentown property owned by Katie McClure and Mark D’Amico. Other videos showed D’Amico hitting golf balls off the lawn around the home.

Superior Court Judge Paula Dow said Wednesday that McClure and D’Amico must appear Monday for a deposition in a suit filed by Johnny Bobbitt over the whereabouts of the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for him via GoFundMe.

Bobbitt’s story went viral in late 2017 after he gave McClure his last $20 for gas when she was stranded. She set up a GoFundMe page for him, which raised $400,000.

Eventually, the relationship soured sometime after Bobbitt received roughly $75,000 of the funds. He used the money to purchase a camper and SUV, but he has admitted he squandered some of on drugs. He no longer has the camper or SUV, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday.

Bobbitt accused McClure and D’Amico of mismanaging the donations raised. The couple deny the claims.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Edmund DeMarche | Fox News


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The lawyer for a homeless man in Philadelphia whose selflessness led to donations of over $400,000 through an online fundraising page reportedly said the couple who set up the fund spent the money on amassing a shoe collection and pricey vacations.

Johnny Bobbitt’s attorney, Jacqueline Promislo, told The New York Post that the couple started to spend the money right after depositing it into their bank account.

“They went on shopping sprees,” she told the paper. “[Bobbitt] tells me they had a Louis Vuitton bag and Chanel sunglasses, a new iPhone 10.”

She said that a forensic accountant will sift through the account and verify the allegations. “But now that they say there is no money, where did it go?”

Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico are the couple accused in a lawsuit brought by Bobbitt of mismanaging donations raised for him through GoFundMe. The couple deny the claims in the suit, saying they’re wary of giving Bobbitt large sums because they fear he will buy drugs.

GoFundMe spokesman Bobby Whithorne said the company is working with law enforcement to ensure that Johnny Bobbitt gets all the money raised for him after he used his last $20 to help a woman get gas.

McClure and D’Amico’s attorney did not respond to the paper for comment.

McClure set the page up to give back to Bobbitt, a Marine veteran who helped her when she ran out of gas on an Interstate 95 exit ramp late one night. It raised more than $400,000 from more than 14,000 people.

Bobbitt walked a few blocks to buy McClure gas. She didn’t have money to repay him at the time, but sought him out days later to give him the money, and visited him a few more times to bring food and water. They later appeared on shows like “Good Morning America” and were interviewed by the BBC.

The relationship has since deteriorated.

D’Amico has told the Philadelphia Inquirer he spent $500 of the GoFundMe money to gamble because he didn’t have his casino card one night, but said he repaid it with his winnings.

D’Amico has said Bobbitt spent $25,000 in less than two weeks in December on drugs, in addition to paying overdue legal bills and sending money to his family.

The couple also bought Bobbitt a camper with some of the funds and parked it on land McClure’s family owns in Florence, New Jersey. But Bobbitt became homeless again after D’Amico told him in June that he had to leave the property.

Fallon said Bobbitt had received about $75,000, including the camper as well as a 1999 Ford Ranger.

Promislo called Bobbitt “sweet” and said he spoke highly of Kate.

“I said, ‘You were also given very little money when you were living in a trailer in her driveway,’” she said. “But he likes her! He wasn’t actually going to pursue this — it’s just not in his nature.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

[RBP]

I have no idea how the law works regarding funds from go fund me accounts.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Amy Lieu | Fox News


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A New Jersey couple and a homeless Philadelphia man who were once the symbol of generosity in hard times allegedly conspired with each other to come up with a false story to earn GoFundMe donations and will now face charges, according to a complaint obtained by NBC 10 Philadelphia.

The original story was this: Johnny Bobbitt, who was homeless, gave his last $20 to Kate McClure, a stranded motorist in Philadelphia in November last year. To thank him, McClure, 28, and her boyfriend, Mark D'Amico, 39, created a GoFundMe account to raise funds for Bobbitt. More than 14,000 people donated more than $400,000 to the campaign.

But investigators said the three deliberately prevented donors from gaining information "that would affect their judgment about solicited contribution to that fundraising effort," according to the station. Now the three will face charges including conspiracy and theft by deception, a source familiar with the case told NBC 10.

The couple turned themselves in on Wednesday to Burlington County authorities, the source said. It was unlcear if Bobbitt was with them. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s office is expected to make an announcement in the case on Thursday, The New York Post reported, citing multiple reports.

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The story appeared to begin to fall apart after Bobbitt claimed that the couple used the GoFundMe money as "personal piggy bank," and sued the couple in August over the funds.

Bobbitt’s attorney, Jacqueline Promislo, told The New York Post in September that the couple started to spend the money right after depositing it into their bank account. Bobbitt accused the two of mismanaging the donations, which the couple initially denied.

“They went on shopping sprees,” Promislo told the paper. “[Bobbitt] tells me they had a Louis Vuitton bag and Chanel sunglasses, a new iPhone 10.”

But the couple claimed they withheld the money to help Bobbitt. They said once the money came in, Bobbitt began to give some to relatives and spend it on drugs. He ultimately received roughly $75,000 from the GoFundMe, which he used to purchase a camper and SUV — both of which he no longer has, reports said.

D’Amico claimed in August that he controls the funds and that he would dispense the money when Bobbitt gets a job and stops using drugs. Police had raided the couple's New Jersey home in September, confiscating a new BMW, jewelry and cash, NBC 10 reported.

McClure and D'Amico's attorney, Ernest Badway, said in court in Septemeber that about $200,000 had gone to Bobbitt. But Superior Court Judge Paula Dow said Badway indicated he was "misadvised" by his clients and that later the court learned there was no money left.

Fox News emailed Bobbitt's reported lawyers, Chris Fallon and Jacqueline Promislo, early Thursday and did not get an immediate response. Fox News also reached out to Ernest Badway, who has been the couple's attorney, and he said no comment.

Badway said in September that one or both could be indicted, saying his clients plan to invoke the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, NJ.com reported.

In September, GoFundMe, along with the law firm (Cozen O'Connor) representing Bobbitt, had said that the Marine veteran will receive the balance of what he was not given of the hundreds of thousands raised for him, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

[deebakes]

:ffs:

[Godfather]

This is exactly why I don't trust GoFundMe campaigns for a second...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Amy Lieu | Fox News


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A New Jersey woman who prosecutors say was part of an elaborate conspiracy to dupe GoFundMe donors of more than $400,000 text messaged a friend about the GoFundMe page and said to, "shush about the made up stuff," a prosecutor said Thursday.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Caffina said that that within hours of the Nov. 10 campaign launch, Kate McClure texted a friend saying that the majority of the story was fabricated, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia.

"Ok, so wait. The gas part is completely made up. The guy isn't," McClure allegedly texted the friend after the campaign went live. "So shush about the made up stuff," she said, according to Caffina.

McClure, her boyfriend Mark D’Amico and homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt are facing criminal charges of conspiracy and theft by deception, in what Caffina said "hoodwinked an awful lot of people," the station reported.

Authorities believed that the three met at least a month before the campaign launched, NBC 10 reported.

The couple surrendered to law enforcement Wednesday night and were released.

Bobbitt was arrested Wednesday night by U.S. marshals in Philadelphia and remained in custody Thursday on probation detainers and a $50,000 bond.

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On Thursday, James Gerrow, another attorney for McClure released a statement on behalf claiming that she was unaware of the alleged false story and that D’Amico and Bobbitt used her, according to the station.

“I’m confident that in the end the evidence will reveal that Kate had only the best intentions," Gerrow said. "She was used by Mr. D’Amico and Mr. Bobbitt and she thought throughout that this money was going to a homeless veteran. She was unaware that they had concocted this scheme. It wasn’t until September when meeting with prosecutors that she came to realize that she had been used by both of them.”

The story originated in November 2017 when Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless military veteran, was reported to have given his last $20 to Kate McClure, a stranded motorist on the side of the road in Philadelphia.

In an effort to thank Bobbitt for the kind gesture, McClure and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, created a GoFundMe account for him, which ultimately raised $400,000 from more than 14,000 people.

Now, all of the money raised through the crowdfunding website will be refunded to the donors, Coffina said.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Zwirz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[RBP]

scammers everywhere with viral fools salivating to post about it.

[deebakes]

that's why i don't really pay attention to social media shit tbh :shrug: