Secret Audio In GoFundMe Scam As Woman Says She Was 'Duped'

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ - The South Jersey woman who has been charged in a $400,000 GoFundMe scam involving a homeless veteran was duped by her ex-boyfriend, her attorney claims. He also produced a secret recording that adds yet another twist to the story (see below).

Kate McClure claims her ex-boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, was “calling the shots” and that she thought she was helping homeless vet Johnny Bobbitt Jr, her attorney confirmed in an email Monday morning.

Attorney James Gerrow also told Patch on Monday morning that only "snippets" of conversations between McClure and D'Amico were provided in the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office's probably cause statement, and that they didn't "even come close to being the whole truth.

Gerrow has shared a secret recording with ABC News that illustrates that point. Here it is:

Part of the recording reads as follows:

Kate McClure: "You started the whole (expletive) thing. You did everything. I had no part in any of this, and I'm the one (expletive) taking the fall. ... I might be going to jail because of something you told me to say."

Mark D'Amico: "You don't go to jail for lying on TV you dumb (expletive).

Kate McClure: "You heard what he said. If this turns into a criminal thing."

Mark D'Amico: "You don't go to jail for lying on TV."

Kate McClure: "But who made me lie on TV?"

Mark D'Amico: "Who cares?"

They continue to fight over who is to blame. Loud noises can then be heard and McClure begins to scream as D'Amico's tone turns menacing.

Mark D'Amico: "You're blaming me? You're blaming me because a junkie decides to start (expletive)? That's what you're blaming me for? You dumb (expletive). You're falling for it? You hear yourself? Your gonna let some junkie come between us?"

He goes on to call her a weak slob and despicable. Earlier in the day, Gerrow described McClure and D'Amico's relationship as "controlling and abusive."

A portion of this conversation was included in the text messages provided in the probable cause statement. It was described by the prosecutor's office as a conversation in which McClure stated that she felt as if she was going to take the fall and be blamed, because her name was on everything. McClure expressed concern about going to jail. D'Amico replied, "You don't go to jail for lying on TV…" (emphasis added).

The conversation then turned to how they spent the money raised through the campaign, with D'Amico providing specifics, but the tone of the conversation wasn't completely clear.

The message was among 60,000 text messages, including some in which McClure discusses the scheme with her best friend. At one point she wrote, “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 . . . So, shush about the made up part.”

See related: Read The Unbelievable Text Messages Behind $400K GoFundMe Scam

The “gas story” is that Bobbitt spent his last $20 to help her when she ran out of gas while driving on I-95 into Philadelphia in November 2017. As a show of gratitude, McClure and D’Amico launched the GoFundMe campaign, which ultimately raised more than $400,000. After fees, the trio received about $367,000, according to authorities. Attorney James Gerrow said that story was dictated to her by D’Amico.

“At most, it was exaggeration or 'puffing' to her to spark interest” in helping Bobbitt, Gerrow said via email Monday morning. “The goal was $10,000, as you know which she never thought they'd reach.”

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in announcing the charges last week that the story appeared to be based on a real incident that took place in 2012, in which Bobbitt helped a woman that ran out of gas and had a flat tire. This happened while Bobbitt was homeless in North Carolina, and he had posted about it on social media.

In her texts, McClure also wrote “My mom just called me and said that people go to jail for scamming others out of money. So there's that . . . That's what my own mother thinks of me.”

“As to her mother's thoughts she was so taken aback by them because, again, throughout this campaign for a variety of reasons, largely owing to D'Amico's scheming, she was only trying to help Bobbitt and could not understand why that was wrong,” Gerrow said.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced charges of conspiracy and theft by deception against McClure, D’Amico and Bobbitt last week, alleging that they fabricated their story with the intent of creating the GoFundMe account to raise money for themselves, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

D’Amico and McClure surrendered to police on Wednesday night, Nov. 14, one day before charges were announced. They have been released pending their first court appearance, scheduled for Dec. 24.

Bobbitt was arrested the same day, in Philadelphia. He was to be extradited to New Jersey, but was still in Philadelphia as of Monday afternoon.

It wasn’t immediately clear who is representing D’Amico. Gerrow said he isn’t representing both because of the conflict of interest. He called their relationship, “controlling and abusive.”

Ernest Badway previously represented the couple, but wasn't immediately available for comment on Monday.

Read more here: Homeless Vet, NJ Couple Made Up $400K GoFundMe Scam: Prosecutors

GoFundMe has said it will refund all donors who contributed to the campaign. Details about how that money is reimbursed, including a link about how to submit a claim, can be found on GoFundMe’s website.

“It's important to remember that our platform is backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, which means that in the rare case that GoFundMe, law enforcement or a user finds campaigns are misused, donors and beneficiaries are protected,” GoFundMe previously said in a statement to Patch.

“Fraudulent charity scams steal hard-earned money from donors and undermine the tireless efforts of the thousands of legitimate charities that are doing good work every day in this state,” Paul R. Rodríguez, Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, said. “With social media providing users with images and stories of people in need, the urge to donate can become overwhelming. Unfortunately, there are always scammers looking to cash in on the kindness and generosity of others. We should not let the threat of scams dissuade us from giving, but would-be donors should take steps to protect themselves from those playing on their emotions for a profit. The Division encourages individuals to visit our website (https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/charities) for tips on avoiding charity scams, and to notify us of suspicious activity.”

The attached image of Kate McClure was previously provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

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