$400K GoFundMe Scam Leads To Prison For South Jersey Woman

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — The final defendant in a $400,000 GoFundMe scam has been sentenced in New Jersey Superior Court, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said.

Katelyn McClure, 32, is already serving a federal sentence of 366 days in Connecticut for her role in the "Paying it Forward" scam, officials say. McClure pleaded guilty in NJ Superior Court in April 2019 to theft by deception, admitting to advancing a false narrative about a homeless Philadelphia veteran for her own gain.

Judge Christopher J. Garrenger sentenced McClure to three years in New Jersey state prison last week, Bradshaw said. This sentence will run concurrently with the federal sentence, officials said.

Garrenger also ruled that McClure, a former state Department of Transportation worker, "is permanently barred from ever holding another position as a public employee," said Bradshaw.

Officials charged McClure and her former boyfriend Mark D'Amico of Florence with creating and taking money from a GoFundMe that would supposedly help Johnny Bobbitt. All three faced federal and local charges; Bobbitt and D'Amico have already been sentenced.

The cases against the trio in NJ Superior Court were put on hold while charges were pursued on the federal level by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey.

D'Amico was sentenced to five years in state prison, which runs concurrently with a 27-month federal sentence. Bobbitt was given probation at the federal and state levels and admitted into the New Jersey Judiciary’s Recovery Court program, Bradshaw said.

McClure and D'Amico have also been ordered to make full restitution to GoFundMe.

At the time, this was the largest fraud ever conducted through GoFundMe, Bradshaw said. The crowdfunding site voluntarily reimbursed more than 14,000 donors, she said.

“This sentencing brings to a close a case that defrauded more than 14,000 people whose decency and compassion for others elicited a tremendously heartwarming response to assist someone they believed was truly in need,” Bradshaw said. “With the new year comes new hope for a better world, and our wish is that prosecutions like this will serve to deter criminals from such deceitful actions, but not discourage individuals from caring about those who are in crisis as a result of a tragedy, or simply need a helping hand after experiencing a hardship or setback.”

Bobbitt was the stated beneficiary of a high-profile GoFundMe campaign called "Paying it Forward" that raised $400,000 after Bobbitt supposedly gave the couple gas money when their car broke down on I-95 back in 2017.

The money was said to get Bobbitt off the streets. In reality, officials said, McClure and Bobbitt spent the money on a BMW, a trip to Las Vegas, Louis Vuitton hand bags, and "a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon."

McClure and D'Amico shared their story widely to get more support for the campaign. 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. More: Read The Unbelievable Text Messages Behind $400K GoFundMe Scam

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.

An ensuing investigation ended with Bobbitt, McClure and Mark D'Amico being charged with conspiracy and theft by deception.

Previous articles:

• Homeless Vet, NJ Couple Made Up $400K GoFundMe Scam: Prosecutors
• Read The Unbelievable Text Messages Behind $400K GoFundMe Scam
  
• GoFundMe Hoaxer From Burlington County Sentenced In $400K Scam (Katelyn McClure)
  
• Homeless 'Good Samaritan' Sentenced In South Jersey GoFundMe Scam (Johnny Bobbit Jr.)
  
• $400K GoFundMe Hoaxer From Burlington Co. Sentenced (Mark D'Amico)