NJ couple whose GoFundMe page for homeless man raised more than $400,000 reportedly REFUSES to give him the money

Last fall a young couple from New Jersey made headlines with a story about helping a homeless man that truly was inspirational, but as the months rolled by we’ve learned that the inspiring story has been transformed into one of betrayal and greed.

In October, the couple – Kate McClure and her boyfriend, Mark DiAmico, decided to ‘rescue’ Johnny Bobbitt, 35, a native of North Carolina, after he gave McClure his last $20 dollars to buy gas after her vehicle stalled on a freeway where he had been panhandling, the Philly Inquirer reported.

Initially grateful, the couple set up a GoFundMe account for Bobbitt and after the story went viral, so, too, did the donations: More than 14,000 people gave more than $402,000 to help the couple get the homeless man back on his feet.

However, the couple has reportedly broken a number of promises, doled out the funds to Bobbitt sparingly, and eventually put him back out on the street – while keeping (and, he says, likely squandering) more than $200,000. (Related: The ultimate scam: How Al Gore became the world’s first “carbon billionaire” by profiting off irrational climate fears.)

The Philly Inquirer reported:

In return, McClure and D’Amico, 39, gave Bobbitt money, food, and clothing, Their GoFundMe campaign to find Bobbitt a home inspired 14,347 donors to give generously as the three appeared on Good Morning America, the BBC, and in newspapers across the country.

In addition, McClure made Bobbitt a number of promises that she publicized on the GoFundMe page, most – if not all of them – have since been broken.

“The first thing on the list is a NEW home which Johnny will own!! He will never have to worry about a roof over his head again,” she wrote on the page.

It’s been one lie after another

For a time, they allowed Bobbitt to stay in a camper on their family property but have since booted him out, say media reports.

“Second will be the dream truck he’s always wanted…a 1999 ford ranger (yes I’m serious),” McClure wrote. But he never got one. Instead, they gave him a used SUV that quickly broke down and which has now been sold.

The couple also pledged to establish two trusts in Bobbitt’s name so that he would be able to collect a small monthly stipend and so that he would have a retirement trust that was to be “wisely invested by a financial planner which he will have access to in a time frame he feels comfortable with,” the GoFundMe page said.

The point was to allow Bobbitt time to get used to living a normal life again, reintegrate into society, and provide him some financial protection.

But of course, the trusts were not created. And Bobbitt said he has never talked to a lawyer regarding his finances. He did say he had a brief meeting with a financial adviser, but he never signed any paperwork.

And Bobbitt says he is curious as to how McClure, a receptionist for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, can afford the new BMW she’s driving as well as vacations to Las Vegas, Florida, and California, as well as a helicopter trip across the Grand Canyon. He also wonders how much D’Amico, a carpenter, has spent gambling.

D’Amico admits to using $500 from the fund to cover a gambling trip because he said he forgot a casino card, and he swears he replaced the money from winnings.

But is the couple on the up and up? They are insisting they’ve done nothing wrong – but also that they should retain control over the fund because they said Bobbitt can’t manage that kind of money and Bobbitt himself has admitted he spends $15 a day to buy opiates or Suboxone, a prescription drug used to treat addiction.

“Write what you want,” a defensive D’Amico said. “Giving him all that money, it’s never going to happen. I’ll burn it in front of him.”

Read more about elaborate hoaxes at Hoax.news.

Sources include:

Philly.com

ZeroHedge.com