NJ Couple Must Surrender Some Of $400K Raised For Homeless Man

The Burlington County couple accused of taking money from a fundraiser they started to help a homeless man has been ordered to turn the money over.

Kate McClure and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, have been ordered to turn over the remainder of the $400,000 raised for Johnny Bobbit Jr. to Bobbit’s attorney, and to provide an account of how the rest of the money was spent, according to the Courier Post.

In ruling in Bobbit’s favor, the judge cited the likely irreparable harm done to Bobbit because he is homeless and collecting money from a GoFundMe campaign, according to the report. The money will be held in an escrow account until a final decision is rendered. Another hearing is set for later this month.

Bobbit was homeless when he gave his last $20 to McClure after she ran out of gas on I-95 on her way to Philadelphia. As a show of gratitude, the couple launched a GoFundMe page to help Bobbit.

Nearly two years later, though, Bobbit reported he had returned to panhandling, and that he has no access to the money that was raised for him through the campaign. He filed a lawsuit against the Florence couple earlier this week, and the matter was heard in court on Thursday.

D’Amico had said he was controlling the money that was raised and would give it to Bobbit when he “gets a job and stops using drugs.”

Bobbit’s attorney admitted that Bobbit had fallen off the wagon a couple of times, but that he was receiving treatment for his drug addiction, according to the Burlington County Times.

However, the attorney representing McClure and D’Amico said they have given him more than $200,000 of the money raised through the campaign, and had made appointments for him with financial advisers and to receive drug treatment, according to the report. They claim Bobbit never showed up.

Bobbit claims he only got $75,000, and that the couple spent the rest of the money on themselves. In the months since the fundraiser was launched, McClure posted pictures online from a New Year’s Eve party in Las Vegas, helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon and from the front row of a Broadway show, according to 6 ABC.

Bobbit previously admitted that he's battled addiction for years, and acknowledged that overcoming the past wouldn't be easy. The former Marine described himself as a “functioning addict” in North Carolina, and moved to Philadelphia for a fresh start before falling back into his old ways.

He had said he bought a home with the money raised, but five months after he grabbed national headlines, he was living in a camper on property owned by D'Amico and McClure in Florence, Burlington County. He said he wasn't able to get his dream truck because he didn't have a driver's license.

He has since sold the camper and was back on the streets, but three Philadelphia women have helped him by paying for him to stay in a hotel room, according to nj.com.

The couple appeared on “Today” with Megyn Kelly to discuss their side of the story this week. (See video below). Public perception doesn’t appear to be on their side.

“I GUARANTEE they are Lying,” one person who commented on the YouTube video said. “So $350,000+ was left from $402,000 GoFundMe after the Fees. Minus $25,000 they claim they gave him, a crappy $10,000 trailer, and some Uber charges. That leaves $315,000.00, but they claim ONLY $150,000.00 remains? Scam!!! Hope they get some serious Jail time. ”

“$200,000.00 is UNaccounted for, but the husband said he “thinks” there is at least $150,000.00 in the bank,” another wrote. “There should be $315,000.00 remaining. It takes five seconds to log-in to (your OWN) bank account to see your balance, BOZO.”

See related: Homeless Man Will Pay It Forward After Woman Raises $380K For Him

The attached image was posted on the Paying It Forward GoFundMe Page.