A New Jersey man who was the instigator behind a fake story about a homeless veteran who helped out his then-girlfriend and used the tale to raise thousands of dollars as part of a GoFundMe scam was sentenced to five years in state prison on Aug. 5.
Mark D’Amico, of Florence, who pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree misapplication of entrusted property in December 2019, admitted to manufacturing the feel-good story that netted $400,000, involving his then-girlfriend, Katelyn McClure, who took the story viral.
In 2017, McClure supposedly ran out of gas and was stranded on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia when a homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., supposedly saw her and gave her his last $20 for gas.
McClure and D’Amico posted the story on social media and started a GoFundMe to raise money for him. But the story unraveled after more than $400,000 had been contributed by more than 14,000 people through the fundraiser.
Prosecutors said the three had met previously and cooked up the scheme to make money. They conducted newspaper and television interviews and solicited donations, ostensibly to help Bobbitt, through a GoFundMe campaign they named “Paying It Forward.”
Authorities launched an investigation after Bobbitt, who also pleaded guilty and is facing sentencing in federal court later this month, sued the couple, accusing them of not giving him the money, claiming the couple lived a lavish lifestyle, while he lived in a trailer on their driveway.
Officials eventually determined that all of the money was spent by March 2018, including on luxury vacations, a BMW, and other purchases.
“People genuinely wanted to believe it was true,” Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw said in an Aug. 5 statement. “But it was all a lie, and it was illegal. Our office is pleased to bring justice for the more than 14,000 kind-hearted people who thought they were helping someone who was living in a desperate situation.”
D’Amico also pleaded guilty to separate federal charges and is currently in federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. His state sentence will run concurrently, and when he finishes his 27-month federal sentence he will serve the remainder of his state time, according to the prosecutor’s office.
McClure also admitted to her role in the scam and received a one-year prison sentence in federal court in late July. She is awaiting sentencing on state charges, where she is expected to receive additional time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.