The man, Johnny Bobbitt, and a New Jersey couple have been charged in connection with the alleged crime.
The homeless man who allegedly scammed people out of $400,000 on GoFundMe with the help of a New Jersey couple has been arrested.
An arrest warrant was issued for Johnny Bobbitt, 34, when he didn’t show up to court in Burlington County, New Jersey, on Tuesday, according to reports. He was arrested in Philadelphia Wednesday. He is set to be extradited to New Jersey.
Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico initially said they started the GoFundMe campaign for Bobbitt because he’d used his last $20 to get McClure gas after she ran out while on I-95 in Philadelphia in October 2017. The campaign took off, attracting national media attention.
But last fall, Bobbitt accused D’Amico and McClure of mismanaging the money they had raised for him and he sued them. Bobbitt’s attorney said the veteran had only seen $75,000 of the total $402,706 donated by 14,347 people.
In response, McClure and D’Amico appeared on the “Today” show, where they told then-host Megyn Kelly they gave Bobbitt $25,000 and he blew through it in under 13 days on drugs.
McClure’s lawyer has since said she has recordings which prove her innocence.
"You started the whole f***ing thing, you did everything," McClure says in a conversation with D’Amico in August, according to ABC News. "I had no part in any of this and I'm the one f***ing taking the fall."
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said McClure exchanged text messages with a friend about the scam that were allegedly incriminating.
“I had to make something up to make people feel bad,” McClure allegedly wrote, according to police.
The trio has been charged with second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception. They've pleaded not guilty and D'Amico and McClure are out on bail.
GoFundMe has refunded everyone who donated to the campaign.
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