A scammer was sentenced to five years in prison after setting up a GoFundMe account using a made-up story.
On Friday, Mark D’Amico received five years in state prison for using a false tale to receive $400,000 in donations. In 2019, D’Amico pled guilty and admitted to creating a story about a homeless veteran in 2017.
D’Amico claimed Johnny Bobbitt Jr. gave his last $20 to help out his girlfriend, Katelyn McClure, when her car ran out of gas.
According to prosecutors, the three met to create the scheme to make money. The trio held newspaper and television interviews to solicit donations to help Bobbitt through a GoFundMe campaign.
The account accumulated over $400,000 from about 14,000 donors. At the time, the campaign was the largest fraud committed through the crowdfunding platform.
The investigation began because Bobbitt sued the couple for not giving him the money. Authorities concluded that all of the money was spent by March 2018. The couple spent a large portion of the funds on a recreational vehicle, a BMW, and trips to casinos.
The couple was to fully reimburse the crowdfunding platform.
D’Amico is currently serving time in a federal prison in Pennsylvania. McClure and Bobbitt both pled guilty to the charges. Bobbitt is now in a state drug court program as part of his plea agreement. McClure received one year in federal prison and is awaiting her state sentencing.
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