Image provided via GoFundMe
Kate McClure is the New Jersey woman who has been charged with conspiracy and theft by deception for allegedly making up a ploy about homeless man Johnny Bobbitt in an effort to raise money.
Who Is Kate McClure?
Kate McClure, a 28-year-old from Bordentown, New Jersey, has been accused of creating a GoFundMe account for a homeless man — Johnny Bobbitt — based around a fake ploy.
She has been charged with conspiracy and theft by deception.
What Happened?
According to reports, McClure — from Bordentown, New Jersey — and her boyfriend Mark D’Amico allegedly conspired with Bobbitt to create a get-rich-quick scheme.
Back in November of 2017, the 28-year-old McClure and the 39-year-old D’Amico created a GoFundMe page for Bobbitt, claiming that he gave the couple his last $20 to that they could use to buy gas after their car allegedly broke down on Interstate 95 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The story instantly went viral and the GoFundMe reached over $400,000. Additionally, the trio began appearing on daytime talk shows such as NBC’s Today.
However, in August 2018, Bobbitt sued the couple, claiming that they were withholding the money from him. McClure and D’Amico responded by saying they did so as they worried he would use the money to buy drugs.
Now, the story has taken yet another unsuspected turn, as the trio are expected to face charges of conspiracy and theft by deception for working together to create the ruse.
According to various reports, McClure and D’Amico turned themselves in to authorities on Wednesday, November 14. However, Bobbit remains at large.
NBC Philadelphia was the first to obtain the official criminal complaint:
Investigators say the three deliberately prevented donors for their GoFundMe campaign from gaining information “that would affect their judgment about solicited contribution to that fundraising effort.”
At first, the account led to appearances for Bobbitt and McClure on national TV programs. But it turned into a dispute over the money. Bobbitt accused the couple of dipping into the funds and using them as a “personal piggy bank” to bankroll a lifestyle they couldn’t afford.
Bobbitt later sued the couple over mismanagement of the funds and a judge ordered sworn statements to determine what happened to the cash, which Bobbitt’s attorney, Chris Fallon, said had disappeared.
The couple denied any wrongdoing and accused Bobbitt of spending $25,000 in less than two weeks last year on drugs as well as paying for overdue legal bills and sending money to family. The couple’s lawyer, Ernest Badway, later said Bobbitt had gotten about $200,000. But Fallon said his client had received only about $75,000.
At the time of this writing, McClure and D’Amico’s lawyer had no comment.
The original GoFundMe can be found here.