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New developments in case of homeless man who gave woman his last $20 for gas

By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

You may remember the case from last year of the homeless man who gave a woman who had run out of gas his last $20 to get home. The woman and her boyfriend then set up a GoFundMe site for the homeless good Samaritan.

The site raised more than $400,000 from complete strangers who wanted to help the man, KYW reported.

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Then months later the man, Johnny Bobbitt, and his lawyer said that the couple, Mark D'Amico and Kate McClure, kept most of the money raised for themselves and spent it on living a lavish lifestyle, giving him only a portion of the money donated, NBC News reported.

The couple's lawyer said they had given him about $200,000, WCAU reported. D'Amico said Bobbit spent $25,000 on drugs in two weeks, while other cash went to pay overdue legal bills and to help his family, The Philadelphia Inquirer and WCAU reported.

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Of the more than $400,000 raised, the couple said that GoFundMe kept a $30,000 fee and that they paid for food, clothing and a vehicle, the Inquirer reported.

D'Amico and McClure said they also used the money for a hotel room for Bobbitt until they bought him a camper, the Inquirer reported.  They put the home on land owned by McClure's family. He lived there until June, when D'Amico told him he had to leave, WCAU reported.

In September, the couple was under investigation, but no charges were filed after police seized a new BMW, jewelry and cash, as well as all of the couple's personal and business financial statements, WCAU reported.

Wednesday, though, McClure and D'Amico turned themselves in to prosecutors in Burlington County, New Jersey, a source told WCAU.

They, along with Bobbitt, will face charges of conspiracy and theft by deception, WCAU learned from an unnamed source.

WCAU reported that the news station obtained a complaint that claims the three worked with each other making up a fake story to raise money from well-wishing strangers.

The complaint says they didn't give donors to the GoFundMe account information "that would affect their judgment about solicited contribution to that fundraising effort," WCAU reported.

Prosecutors have announced a press conference, scheduled for 2 p.m., KYW and other media outlets reported, but lawyers did not say what the press conference will cover.

 

Cox Media Group

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