New Jersey Couple and Homeless Man Allegedly Made Up Sob Story to Scam People Out of $400K: Report
...Homeless Veteran allegedly helps stranded motorist with his last $20 ... Motorist allegedly kept $400K of GFM
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.
I a homeless man published a similar story and got nothing. One afternoon, I was heckled at BK parking lot, on i-Drive which I ignore and kept walking. I again was stopped, by the heckler at Orlando's i-Drive entrance to Chuck-E-Cheese. My progress was blocked by a vehicle, and asked for money to buy gas by the driver of a rented late model white SUV with a family onboard. Supposedly he had no money to buy gas, so goes the story, I was given. The driver pulled from his finger and offered what looked like a gold ring in exchange for money to buy gas. I gave him what I had ( $20, money given to me earlier ) and told him to keep his wedding band, I had no use for it, bid him good luck and continued walking to Kings Pizzeria. The difference is the vehicle was a BMW, and dince we're in a tourist section it could be some one running a scam perhaps a grifter or a gypsy, given this time of year.
Now, I see why I got nothing eventhough approximately 1,000,000 people was reached in socialmedia round about the same timeframe.
A source familiar with the case fold NBC 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."
...The story also might have been his idea since according to the link posted, in 2012 he posted on facebook how he supposedly helped some woman with a flat tire who run out of gas. I guess the irony of it all that he really was homeless so it's not like he lied about being homeless.
All three are now expected to face charges of conspiracy and theft by deception, the NBC 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.
...It has a hook. I guess a good story needs a hook. That's why perhaps fake stories could get more attention/ donations than real ones.
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.
..I agree, everyone in the business of fundraising knows you need to have hook that will tug at the heartstrings, but in boardrooms it's considered strategic marketing rather than outright lying.
The guy still was a homeless vet. He needed money, but likely wouldn't have gotten any donations if he'd started his own campaign.
I think people should wait to hear the final story before, again, rushing to judgement. I think the real problem is that people are so easily swayed by a media clip to make up their minds about things, rather than waiting to get more information.
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.
...We have a lot of information. She texted her friend after she started gofundme that the story about homeless guy giving her his last $20 was completely made up. There is a lot of information that indicates the story was a hoax from the start, designed to generate donations. What other information do we need?
One thing you can say about this couple, they were texting a lot. This article has the timeline and also how the money were spend.
....
The couple turned themselves in on Wednesday to face charges, the NBC source said, but Bobbitt remains at large. A lawyer for the couple had no comment when contacted by NBC Inside Edition has reached out to attorneys for both the couple and Bobbitt.
...So this is the story JB posted on facebook in 2012. I presume he told it to this couple, otherwise that is too much of a coincidence that she comes up with a fake story very similar to what he claimed he did in 2012.
“So this girl runs out of gas and has a flat tire at the same time in front of Wal-Mart and is blocking traffic,” the post read. “Everybody blows the horn and cusses her but of course no-one helps her, So I run to the gas station and then change her tire. I spent the only cash I had for supper but at least she can get her little children home safe.”
Homeless Man in GoFundMe Scam Told 'a Similar Story' About Helping Woman Who Ran Out of Gas in 2012
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said new information will be released by their office on Thursday afternoon.
...“meanwhile, relations strained between Bobbitt and the couple, who allegedly kept the bulk of the $367,108.81 they received after GoFundMe took its cut for processing fees.”
“Bobbitt claimed he received only about $75,000, while McClure and D’Amico blew through the rest on everything from a 2015 BMW to designer shoes and sunglasses to a New Year’s trip to Las Vegas and a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon.”
“Over $85,000 was withdrawn by the couple in or near casinos from Vegas to Atlantic City to Philly, financial records revealed to investigators.”
“You really need to get rid of [Bobbitt] and get the public off your back by donating,” McClure’s friend warned her in March. “He could out you.”
“McClure replied, “I’ll be keeping the rest of the money, f–k you very much.”
“But even if McClure was willing to heed her friend’s advice, it was too late.”
“I can’t believe we have less than 10k left,” she texted D’Amico earlier that month. “I’m so upset.”
...This article has a detailed affidavit of probable cause of how the story unfolded. After reading this, I still feel a little sorry for homeless guy. He was actually homeless, and sounds like his drug addiction really ruled/ruined his life. Also from reading this, not sure if the couple started gofundme and then informed the homeless guy about it (and he went along with it) or if he was on it from the start? The couple apparently spend most of the money collected, and he didn't even get his share. Although suing the other two wasn't his brightest idea, considering he is now arrested as well as the other two.
The truth about the GoFundMe campaign for a homeless veteran: It was all a scam
...Good news for generous people who donated:
"GoFundMe said in a statement that everyone who donated to help Bobbitt would be fully refunded in the coming days."
.... At some point, Bobbitt crossed paths with D'Amico, a 39-year-old admitted gambling addict, and McClure at the SugarHouse casino in Fishtown. The couple grew friendly with Bobbitt — fascinated, even.
Last October, McClure texted D'Amico that Bobbitt "keeps popping in my damn head today," and D'Amico enthusiastically responded, "Dude I just thought about him!!"
They tossed around a number of ways they could help Bobbitt. Maybe they could provide him with food, clothes, and a Nintendo Switch, or help him land a job and find a house. They'd already made a small gesture, giving him $10.
In the weeks that followed, they dreamed up something grander.
Around dinnertime on Nov. 10, D'Amico took a grainy photo of McClure and Bobbitt at the highway exit ramp where he'd supposedly come to her aid. McClure smiled in the image while Bobbitt stared blankly, his face covered by a wispy beard and dark hood.
Almost immediately, McClure was contacted by a close friend, who was incredulous: Why hadn't McClure told her she'd run out of gas in Port Richmond?
"Okay so wait the gas part is completely made up," McClure wrote back in a text message. "I had to make something up to make people feel bad … So, shush about the made up part."
"My mom just called me and said that people go to jail for scamming others out of money," McClure wrote to her friend. "…That's what my own mother thinks of me."
The friend suggested that "this gas story" would backfire on McClure and D'Amico. "Nah it's all good," McClure insisted. "How would it?"
McClure's attorney said Thursday the evidence would show that "Kate only had the best intentions," and that D'Amico and Bobbitt had concocted the plan.
As McClure and D'Amico burned through the GoFundMe money, D'Amico desperately pawned an iPhone, a laptop, an X-Box gaming system and a Movado watch.
"I can't believe we have less than 10K left," McClure texted him in early March.
The couple often bickered about finances. McClure, who works as a receptionist for the state DOT, was paid $43,262 in 2017. D'Amico last filed state tax returns in 2015, a year in which he reported $15,417 in income.
As of March 19, McClure's bank account, which had held the bulk of the GoFundMe donations, was in the red.
In August, Bobbitt reached out to D'Amico to express a growing worry that the public would learn of their deception. He and his brother, he said, were ready to get on a bus and leave the area. "I think it's the best idea because we don't want people asking questions," he wrote D'Amico in a message on Facebook.
There's nothing to investigate," D'Amico snapped at Bobbitt in a message.
In August, the couple responded by claiming that there was still more than $150,000 in their bank account for him. The couple denied spending any money on themselves, except for $500 D'Amico said he'd borrowed from Bobbitt to use at a casino and quickly repaid.
Privately, McClure grew concerned that her mother's early warning was true — that she could end up in jail.
D'Amico tried reassuring her. "You don't go to jail for lying on TV," he said during one conversation.
In the closing moments of an interview on NBC's Megyn Kelly Today, McClure's lips quivered, and she appeared on the verge of tears. "Aw, Kate," Kelly said sympathetically.
The camera zoomed in on McClure's face as she explained that she'd received death threats after news outlets reported that Bobbitt had accused them of stealing his money. People only knew one side of the story, McClure said. And then, she doubled down.
"I still believe that we did a good thing," she said. "And I would do it all over again. I would do it all over again for him."
...This story is so hard to take....I just wonder WTH was this couple thinking? I guess it started out with good intentions on their part but I think access to so much money was too much of a temptation.
I was surprised to read that Jessica’s mother knew the truth about this scam and of course was concerned about her daughter possibly ending up in jail. That would be really hard to take if I was aware that my son or daughter willingly took part in such a scam. I don’t know what their conversations were regarding this mess but I would hope that mom encouraged her to come clean and admit to the scam. Hard to do, I know, especially after she appeared for interviews on national news channels and stuck with the story.
I guess none of them ever expected that their texts would be found. I’m sure they were sweating blood when the investigators started interviewing them pursuant to the lawsuit, and then the new car was towed away by LE.....they had to know it was over then.
D’Amico looks pretty rough in his mug shot compared to his photo from a year ago. He looked pulled together then but now he looks like the stress has taken a toll on him.
What a horrible mess they all created for themselves. SMH.
...
I no longer think these two started with good intentions. Or if they had those, they didn't last long. At least homeless dude was actually homeless and people were donating to him to improve his life (whether he gave her his last $20 or not). I don't think anybody who donated expected the couple to be going on lavish vacations or gambling with the money. Which they reportedly started doing right away. The story about homeless dude helping a woman in 2012 was posted on his facebook. She knew of his facebook so she could have used his story off the facebook to start the campaign. He didn't get any money of 2012 story as far as I can tell, so who knows, it might actually be true that he at one time gave a woman his last $20 for gas money.
....There is an interview with Dan Abrams at the end of the above last link. He makes a good point that I hadn’t thought of, guess I am slow on the uptake lol. He expects that Bobbitt will be offered a deal to turn on the other two, possibly for minimal, if at all, jail time. He basically (Bobbitt) is the least guilty of the trio so I can see that happening.
Oh what a tangled web we weave.
.... He needs to go to jail for as long as the other two. The fact that he's a homeless vet means nothing, it doesn't excuse his greed, and that is exactly what he is --a Greedy Liar. He could have gone to a local shelter where he would get food and a place to stay at night.
He wasn't upset about being a liar, he was upset because he got scammed by his own scam. He didn't like that as a liar, he was lied to by liars.
Had he gotten to keep all the money to himself we wouldn't have been hearing that this was a scam. When he decided to file a lawsuit he conveniently forgot to mention that he was a lying scammer.
.... He needs to go to jail for as long as the other two. The fact that he's a homeless vet means nothing, it doesn't excuse his greed, and that is exactly what he is --a Greedy Liar. He could have gone to a local shelter where he would get food and a place to stay at night.
He wasn't upset about being a liar, he was upset because he got scammed by his own scam. He didn't like that as a liar, he was lied to by liars.
Had he gotten to keep all the money to himself we wouldn't have been hearing that this was a scam. When he decided to file a lawsuit he conveniently forgot to mention that he was a lying scammer.
....Considering how much the other two were texting about it, I don't think they need to offer anyone a deal. We have them admitting the story was a hoax in their texts. And that they spend the money (most of it) on themselves. I do hope the homeless dude gets the help he needs with his drug addiction rather than prison sentence. I don't think he is as guilty as the other two. People were donating to help homeless vet. He actually is a homeless vet. That part wasn't a lie.
...
I would say that her lawyers claims that she just embellished the story in order to help the homeless guy would be more convincing if all the money were actually spend to help the homeless guy, instead of vast majority being spend on lavish vacations, gambling and designer handbags. The homeless guy was actually homeless and in desperate need of help. It sounds to me that he is trying to kick his drug addiction but keeps failing. It's also sounds like the drug addiction is the cause of all his problems. I hope he is sentenced to drug rehab so he can turn his life around.
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