A source familiar with the case told NBC10 that officials now believe the couple, Mark D’Amico, 39, and Kate McClure, 28, worked with the man, Johnny Bobbitt, to scam people out of money with their sob story.
The New Jersey couple who raised $400,000 through GoFundMe for a homeless man who, they say, gave them his last $20 last year allegedly made up the story as part of a scam that all three of them were in on, according to a report.
A source familiar with the case told NBC10 that officials now believe the couple, Mark D’Amico, 39, and Kate McClure, 28, worked with the man, Johnny Bobbitt, to scam people out of money with their sob story. According to a complaint obtained by the station, the three "conspired with one another to make up a false story to raise more than $400,000."
All three are now expected to face charges of conspiracy and theft by deception, the NBC10 source told the station.
The couple initially told the public they started the GoFundMe campaign for Bobbitt because he’d used his last $20 to get McClure gas after she ran out while on the road in Philadelphia last October. The campaign then took off and attracted plenty of media attention.
Earlier this fall, however, Bobbitt accused D’Amico and McClure of mismanaging the money they had raised for him and sued them. Bobbitt’s attorney said then that the veteran had only seen $75,000 of the total $402,706 raised by 14,347 people.
In response, McClure and D’Amico appeared on the “Today” show, where they told then-host Megyn Kelly that they gave Bobbitt $25,000 and he blew through it in under 13 days on drugs.
The couple turned themselves in on Wednesday to face charges, the NBC10 source said, but Bobbitt remains at large. A lawyer for the couple had no comment when contacted by NBC10. Inside Edition has reached out to attorneys for both the couple and Bobbitt.
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said new information will be released by their office on Thursday afternoon.
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