Man in alleged GoFundMe scam could face jail on traffic charges
Florence Township, N.J. — A man charged with running a scam that netted more than $400,000 from GoFundMe donors could face jail over traffic tickets. A prosecutor in Burlington County, New Jersey, said Monday that Mark D'Amico could serve as long as 30 days for driving with a suspended license three times spanning March 2017 to May 2018.
D'Amico, his now-former girlfriend Katelyn McClure and a homeless veteran, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., face theft and conspiracy charges for allegedly concocting a feel-good story in November 2017 to get people to donate money. Prosecutors said the trio falsely claimed Bobbitt gave McClure his last $20 when she ran out of gas in Philadelphia and defrauded more than 14,000 donors worldwide, saying they were raising money to help get Bobbitt off the streets.
They've pleaded not guilty. D'Amico and McClure have been released on bail. Bobbitt was released last week after agreeing to drug monitoring and other conditions ahead of trial. Bobbitt sued the couple in September, claiming the couple mismanaged the funds.
Prosecutors contend D'Amico and former girlfriend spent the money on luxury items and casino trips. In a brief interview Monday, D'Amico told The Philadelphia Inquirer the prosecutors "are mistaken" and that he gave homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt all the money.
"This wasn't based on greed or a big scam," he said. "I gave Bobbitt all of the money and took him to a methadone clinic to get clean. But he spent it on drugs."
McClure's lawyer has said she was duped by D'Amico, but D'Amico has denied that.
The paper reports D'Amico has also been charged in Florence Municipal Court with criminal trespass because he has refused to move out of a house he once shared with McClure after he was asked to leave by her grandmother, who owned the property. McClure and D'Amico reportedly split up in August. D'Amico denied trespassing at the property and said he had a lease.
