BMW Hauled Away In Search At Alleged GoFundMe Scammers' Home

Investigators executed a search warrant Thursday morning at the New Jersey home of a couple accused of taking $400,000 from GoFundMe account they set up for a homeless man. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the Florence Township Police Department executed a search warrant at the home of Kate McClure and Mark D'Amico, the prosecutor's office confirmed Thursday morning.

The search is in connection with a criminal investigation into the couple who launched the fundraiser for Johnny Bobbit Jr. after he gave McClure his last $20 to help her get gas, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said.

No charges have been filed, but a BMW was seen being towed from the couple's home, according to an Action News reporter at the scene. Investigators were at the house just before 8 a.m. The attorney representing the couple wasn’t available for comment to Patch Thursday morning.

The couple was outside the home during the search, according to 6 ABC. D'Amico was swinging a golf club outside the home, while McClure left the home without commenting. Shortly after noon, D'Amico also left the home without commenting to reporters on the scene.

RELATED: Nothing Left Of $400K GoFundMe For Homeless Philly Man: Attorney

One day earlier, GoFundMe confirmed that it was working with law enforcement agencies in an investigation of the couple. The online fundraising company has placed $20,000 into an account created by Bobbit's legal team.

It’s not clear what investigators are searching for, but a law enforcement official with no ties to the investigation told NBC 10 it was likely that they were collecting hard drives, computers, bank statements, receipts and any other documents that may provide a clue as to where the rest of the money went. Investigators left the home with bags of evidence on Thursday, according to the report.

Bobbit has accused the Florence couple of preventing him from accessing the money that was raised for him through the Paying It Forward GoFundMe campaign that was launched on his behalf in November.

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 filed a lawsuit, and the matter went before a judge. The judge ruled in Bobbit's favor, citing the likely irreparable harm done to Bobbit because he is homeless and collecting money from a GoFundMe campaign. The money was to be held in an escrow account and turned over to Bobbit's legal team, but it was then revealed during a conference call Tuesday morning that it was gone.

Bobbit's attorney, Chris Fallon, has sent to the couple's attorney, Ernest Badway, a list of documents he would like to see concerning what happened to the more than $400,000 that was raised through the "Paying it Forward" GoFundMe fundraiser, which was launched in November to help the former Marine get a fresh start in life.

After GoFundMe's fees, the total that would've been raised for Bobbit is closer to $350,000, according to nj.com.

The couple has reportedly skipped two consecutive hearings on the issue, and Badway has attempted to plead the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on their behalf, according to nj.com. That request was rejected by the judge. Another hearing had been set for Sept. 14.

D'Amico and McClure launched the campaign after Bobbit gave his last $20 to McClure after she ran out of gas on I-95 on her way to Philadelphia. The fundraiser made national headlines, and generated far more cash than the couple had originally hoped. After their viral success, the trio made the rounds on morning television shows to share their inspiring story.

Months later, the story is back in the national spotlight, but under a much uglier set of circumstances. For their part, the couple says they were holding onto the remaining money so Bobbit didn't use the money to buy drugs.

By his own admission, Bobbit was a "functioning addict" when he lived in North Carolina, and his attorney has said he is trying to help Bobbit get into a treatment facility. Fallon also said there are "serious questions" about what happened to the rest of the money. As of last week, the couple said $150,000 of the money was left before it was later revealed that all the money was gone.

Patch will update this breaking news story as more information becomes available.

YouTube photo.