Homeless Man Sentenced In $400K GoFundMe Scam

The homeless vet at the center of the alleged $400,000 GoFundMe scam has been placed on special probation for up to five years while he fulfills the requirements of a court-sponsored drug treatment program, authorities announced.

Johnny Bobbitt Jr., 36, was placed into the program on Friday, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced. Participants in the program must obtain employment and adhere to a tightly-structured regimen of treatment and recovery services, are frequently tested for drug use, and must satisfy other conditions as well.

“Mr. Bobbitt was an instrumental part of the fraudulent campaign; indeed he was the face of it,” Coffina said. “He admittedly promoted and perpetuated the false narrative that he had given his last $20 to his co-conspirator Kate McClure when she had run out of gas on the side of the highway, with the intent to manipulate the goodwill of others to obtain money for himself. That said, there is no denying that Johnny Bobbitt has struggled with addiction, and that his addiction was a factor in his criminal conduct. The proposed agreed-upon sentence, in the State’s view, provides sufficient accountability to Johnny Bobbitt for his active role in this fraud through the vigorous standards of a drug court probation, with the certainty of a five-year state prison sentence if he does not adhere to those standards and take advantage of this opportunity. This sentence affords him the chance to turn his life around. We wish him well in the program.”

Bobbitt the stated beneficiary of a high-profile GoFundMe campaign that raised $400,000 for the veteran who was living on the streets in Philadelphia after he supposedly helped a Burlington County woman whose car broke down on I-95.

However, he then claimed he never saw most of the money, and an ensuing investigation ended with Bobbitt, 29-year-old Kate McClure and 39-year-old Mark D'Amico being charged with conspiracy and theft by deception.

Last month, Bobbitt pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit theft by deception in exchange for acceptance into the Burlington County vicinage's drug court program, authorities said.

He and McClure have also pleaded guilty to charges in federal court. Only D'Amico has yet to enter a guilty plea in the case, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

GoFundMe has refunded all those who donated to the “Paying It Forward” campaign. Earlier this week, its CEO highlighted some of the safeguards they have in place that are designed to make sure a scam like this never happens again.

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