Couple Who Raised Over $400k For Homeless Philadelphia Veteran Turned Themselves In For Theft…And The Homeless Vet Was Arrested Too

The story of Kate McClure and her boyfriend Mark D’Amico going above and beyond to pay back a homeless veteran for doing a good deed has been ongoing since November 2017. Well, it’s finally coming to an end…and it’s officially been confirmed that it was a complete scam. With all three parties involved.

More than 14,000 good samaritans donated to a GoFundMe account intended to help Johnny Bobbitt Jr., who is a Marine vet. The fund raised $402,706, far surpassing their original goal of $10k. This was the beginning of Baller season for the trio and the world didn’t even know it.

Within months after the funds were received by the couple (and Bobbitt), Bobbitt attempted to take the couple to court over the funds, stating he hadn’t received much of the money and was homeless again. The couple claimed they gave him $25k and he blew through it on drugs and miscellaneous things. But the couple also began taking lavish trips and buying expensive gifts around the same time.

Once Bobbitt lawyered up, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit opened an investigation on the couple and raided their home, seizing bank statements and over60,000 text messages, some of which are terribly incriminating.

According to E! Online, hours after the fundraiser launched, McClure sent a text to a friend that proved the whole story was a lie. The text read, “OK, so wait, the gas part is completely made up but the guy isn’t.” Another text said, “I had to make something up so people will feel bad.”

Further texts revealed that McClure and D’Amico knew Bobbitt prior to the day the supposed “good deed” took place. Another text from McClure read, “My mother just called me and said that people go to jail for scamming others out of money. So there’s that.” And when a friend tried to warn her about Bobbitt possibly snitching, she responded, “I’ll be keeping the rest of the money, f**k you very much.” She even texted her boyfriend D’Amico earlier the same month expressing, “can’t believe we have less than 10k left.”

If you’re wondering why Bobbitt is accused of being in on the scam, investigators found a Facebook post from 2012 where he told the same “girl running out of gas” story that McClure did to gain the donations. The post read, “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. 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.”

Authorities don’t believe this is a coincidence. All three are currently in jail facing charges of theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception, which is punishable by 5-10 years in prison.