U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on March 6 that two suspects in the Florence GoFundMe scam admitted to their respective roles in the con, which gained nationwide attention last year.
According to the U.S. Attorney, Katelyn McClure, 28, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle in Camden federal court to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Johnny Bobbitt, 36, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
In November of 2017, McClure and Mark D’Amico, 39, allegedly created a crowd-source funding page on GoFundMe’s website titled “Paying It Forward.” The campaign solicited donations from the public purportedly for the benefit of a homeless veteran, Bobbitt. McClure and D’Amico posted a story that McClure was driving home from Philadelphia on Interstate-95 and ran out of gas.
Officials reported that Bobbitt acted as a “good samaritan” and rescued McClure by using his last $20 to buy gasoline for her. The website stated that funds were being solicited to get Bobbitt off the streets and provide him with living expenses, setting a goal of $10,000.
According to officials, McClure never actually ran out of gas, and Bobbitt never spent his last $20 for her. D’Amico and McClure allegedly conspired to create the false story to obtain money from donors. The story was quickly picked up by local and national media outlets and went viral, and raised approximately $400,000 from more than 14,000 donors in less than three weeks.
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced on Nov. 15 of last year that an investigation behind the Florence Township couple’s successful GoFundMe campaign was “fictitious and formed the basis of a scam.”
“The entire campaign was predicated on a lie,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “Less than an hour after the GoFundMe campaign went live, McClure, in a text exchange with a friend, stated that the story about Bobbitt assisting her was ‘completely made up.’ She did not run out of gas on an I-95 off-ramp, and he did not spend his last $20 to help her. Rather, D’Amico, McClure and Bobbitt conspired to fabricate and promote a feel-good story that would compel donors to contribute to their cause.”
An investigation revealed that the donated funds were transferred by D’Amico and McClure from GoFundMe into accounts that they controlled. The majority of the money allegedly was quickly spent by D’Amico and McClure on personal expenses over the next three months, including significant amounts on D’Amico’s gambling, vacations, a luxury automobile, clothing, expensive handbags and other personal items and expenses.
In mid-November of 2017, when the donations had reached approximately $1,500, officials said that D’Amico and McClure told Bobbitt about the campaign and the false gas story. In December of 2017, officials said that after setting up a bank account for Bobbitt, D’Amico and McClure deposited $25,000 of proceeds of the scheme into Bobbitt’s account.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, D’Amico and McClure surrendered on Nov. 14.
Officials said Bobbitt was located and taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia, the U.S. Marshal’s Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division, and the Burlington County Sherriff’s Office Warrant Unit.
The count of wire fraud conspiracy to which McClure pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 19.
The count of conspiracy to commit money laundering to which Bobbitt pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
Reports say that D’Amico has not been charged with any federal crimes as of yet, but it’s possible he still may. He’s currently facing state charges.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited assistant prosecutors and detectives of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Scott Coffina; officers of the Florence Township Police Department; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty pleas.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.