GoFundMe Hoaxer From Burlington County Sentenced In $400K Scam

CAMDEN, NJ — Katelyn McClure, one of the individuals who concocted a GoFundMe scam that collected more than $400,000, was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in prison for her role in the scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

McClure, 32, of Bordentown, also received three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution, according to authorities.

McClure had previously pleaded guilty in federal court in March 2019 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to authorities.

Johnny Bobbitt Jr., a homeless man from Philadelphia and another person involved in the scam, is still awaiting sentencing, authorities said.

A third person involved in the scam, Mark D'Amico, was sentenced to 27 months in prison in April in a U.S. District Court. D'Amico must also pay nearly $402,000 in restitution, pay a $20,000 fine and undergo gambling, drug and mental health counseling, the spokesperson also said.

D'Amico will also be on probation for three years and had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, authorities said.

The sentences and fines spur from a scheme the trio concocted to have Bobbitt spend his last $20 to allow McClure to fill up her gas after she broke down on her way into Philadelphia, according to authorities.

"In reality, McClure never ran out of gas and Bobbitt never spent his last $20 for her," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "D’Amico and McClure allegedly conspired to create the false story to obtain money from donors."

The trio's story gained national attention, swelling the amount in Bobbitt's GoFundMe account to more than $402,000 from more than 14,000 donors in less than 3 weeks, authorities said.

Things began to unravel in August 2018, when Bobbitt sued D'Amico and McClure on grounds that they were not giving him access to the money that was raised for him through the campaign, according to authorities.

At about the same time, 6abc.com reported that McClure had posted pictures online from events that took place after the GoFundMe fundraiser, including a party in Las Vegas, helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon and from the front row of a Broadway show.

McClure and D'Amico are scheduled to be sentenced on state charges on Aug. 5 in Burlington County, according to 6abc.

This story contains reporting by Anthony Bellano.

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