New Jersey couple, homeless man create phony GoFundMe
Couple conspired with homeless man to defraud donors; Jacqui Heinrich has the details.
One of the suspects in the GoFundMe scandal — in which three people allegedly duped thousands into donating over $400,000 for a fake sob story — says she was tricked by her ex-boyfriend, who is also tied to the case.
A lawyer for Katie McClure, 28, told ABC News' "Good Morning America" on Monday that she was apparently deceived into partaking in the scam.
The attorney played an audio recording, which was not verified by the news outlet, in which McClure purportedly tells her ex, suspect Mark D'Amico, she didn't play a role in the fraudulent scheme.
"You started the whole f------ thing. You did everything," McClure allegedly told 39-year-old D'Amico. "I had no part in any of this, and I'm the one taking (the) f------ fall."
"You don't go to jail for lying on TV, you dumb f---," D'Amico reportedly responded, seemingly in connection to the pair's interview with Megyn Kelly during an appearance on her NBC show in August.
"But who made me lie on TV?" McClure is apparently heard saying, to which D'Amico seemingly replies: "Who cares?"
McClure's lawyer, James Gerrow, claimed the two were in an "abusive relationship," and that since the beginning of the ordeal, "Kate thought she was helping a veteran who was homeless and that Mr. D'Amico was the one behind this and he was calling the shots."
GOFUNDME SCAM? HOW A HOMELESS MAN, NEW JERSEY COUPLE'S ALLEGED SOB STORY UNFOLDED
The couple, along with 38-year-old homeless military veteran Johnny Bobbitt, was charged last week with theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception, prosecutors in Burlington County, New Jersey announced.
The trio was charged with theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception, according to a statement of probable cause from the prosecutor's office. (Burlington County Prosecutor's Office)
The trio's story originated in November 2017. McClure and D'Amico claimed they met Bobbitt on an Interstate 95 off-ramp in Pennsylvania, where he gave McClure his last $20 so she could purchase gas.
McClure and D'Amico then created a GoFundMe page for Bobbitt, and raised more than $400,000 for the homeless vet.
But, according to prosecutors, the story was a lie. "Rather, D'Amico, McClure and Bobbitt conspired to invent and/or promulgate this story in order to deceive potential donors to the 'Paying it Forward' campaign by toying with their emotions to encourage them to contribute to a homeless veteran who purportedly had done a good deed."
Man arrested for fraudulent GoFundMe page
Justus Hughley is accused of opening a GoFundMe page for Dylan Thomas, a high school football player who died in September. The Pike County Sheriff’s office says Hughley was trying to transfer the money to his personal account.
Evidence in the investigation showed that the couple "had known Bobbitt for at least a month" before the GoFundMe page was created, "as they had met him on their frequent trips to a local gambling casino," prosecutors said.
Shortly after the GoFundMe page was established for Bobbitt, McClure confessed to her friend via text "that the 'gas story' did not occur, and rather 'is completely made up.'"
The crowdfunding campaign money was "disbursed and held in accounts that were accessible to D'Amico and McClure, but all three defendants utilized the funds," prosecutors said. The couple "quite rapidly" spent a significant portion of the funds "for their own benefit, including multiple vacations, extensive gambling, a luxury car, expensive designer handbags, and repayment of personal debts to their family members," prosecutors said.
FLASHBACK: HOMELESS SAMARITAN WILL GET CASH; COUPLE UNDER INVESTIGATION
A trailer was also bought "for Bobbitt to live in," which was later sold in June for $10,000, according to prosecutors.
The investigation landed at the prosecutor’s office after Bobbitt claimed he hadn’t received the full amount of funds that were raised for him. He later filed a lawsuit against McClure and D’Amico.
GoFundMe said last week that it's refunding donations to the 14,000 people who contributed to the fundraising campaign.
Fox News' Elizabeth Zwirz contributed to this report.
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