愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Woman sentenced to three years in state prison for collecting $400,000 in viral GoFundMe scam

Katelyn McClure is shown in a 2018 booking photo, provided by the Burlington County Prosecutors office. (Burlington County Prosecutors Office/AP) Katelyn McClure is shown in a 2018 booking photo, provided by the Burlington County Prosecutors office. (Burlington County Prosecutors Office/AP)
Share

A New Jersey woman has been sentenced to three years in state prison for her role in scamming more than $400,000 from GoFundMe donors, by claiming to be collecting money for a homeless man.

Katelyn McClure, 32, is currently serving a 12-month and one day term  for her involvement in the scheme, the Burlington County Prosecutor  Friday.

Her state sentence will run concurrently with her federal prison time, according to the prosecutor's office. The judge also ruled McClure, who formerly worked at the state Department of Transportation, is "permanently barred from ever holding another position as a public employee," the release said.

In 2017, McClureand was stranded on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. The homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., supposedly saw her and gave her his last $20 for gas.

McClure and her then-boyfriend, Mark D'Amico, posted about the "good deed" on social media, including a picture of her with Bobbitt on a highway ramp. They also started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the homeless veteran, saying they wanted to pay it forward to the good Samaritan and get him off the streets.

The story went viral and made national headlines, with The scammers netted around $367,000 after fees, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said the then-couple spent the money on a BMW, a New Year's trip to Las Vegas, gambling in casinos, Louis Vuitton handbags, and other items.

Bobbitt, who received $75,000 from the fundraiser, according to prosecutors, took civil action against D'Amico and McClure and the scam soon became public.

An investigation According to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina, the couple first met Bobbitt at an off-ramp near a casino at least a month before the GoFundMe campaign went live. Investigators reviewed texts the couple sent discussing the scam and their money troubles which read, "Okay so wait the gas part is completely made up, but the guy isn't. I had to make something up to make people feel bad."

D'Amico and Bobbitt were charged in 2018 alongside her for concocting the scheme, prosecutors said.

McClure pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception in the second degree in 2019, according to the 

Bobbittin 2019 and was sentenced to a five-year special probation period which includes drug treatment. D'Amico  and agreed to a five-year term in New Jersey state prison, as well as restitution of GoFundMe and the donors, in 2019.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.

The Ottawa Police Service has identified the woman who was stabbed to death at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive Thursday morning.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.