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Homeless man Johnny Bobbitt (left) with Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico who raised money for him. Picture: GoFundMe/Supplied
Homeless man Johnny Bobbitt (left) with Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico who raised money for him. Picture: GoFundMe/Supplied
News

Couple ordered to pay homeless man his GoFundMe money

by New York Post
1st Sep 2018 5:02 AM

A NEW Jersey couple must hand over what remains of the $400,000 ($A555,000) they raised for a homeless Philadelphia man, a report said.

According to the New York Post, Katie McClure and her boyfriend, Mark D'Amico, had to give all the funds to their lawyer - after they had raised the money through a GoFundMe campaign for Johnny Bobbitt, according to Philadelphia's NBC10.

 

Johnny Bobbitt (L), Katie McClure (R), and McClure's boyfriend Mark D'Amico. The couple raised more than $A540,000 for Bobbitt but must now turn over what’s left of the cash. Picture: Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP
Johnny Bobbitt (L), Katie McClure (R), and McClure's boyfriend Mark D'Amico. The couple raised more than $A540,000 for Bobbitt but must now turn over what’s left of the cash. Picture: Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP

The lawyer was directed to place the funds into an escrow account as the case continues, the report said.

A lawyer defends Mark D'Amico and Kate McClure after Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless man sued the couple who raised $400,000 to get him off the streets. Picture: Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP
A lawyer defends Mark D'Amico and Kate McClure after Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless man sued the couple who raised $400,000 to get him off the streets. Picture: Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP

The judge also has ordered McClure and D'Amico to provide a full accounting of the money they raised.

Bobbit had gained worldwide attention after he spent his last $20 ($A27) to help a McClure buy gas last fall.

The couple started the campaign for Bobbitt with the goal of raising $10,000 ($A14,000) - a target they quickly surpassed when their fundraiser went viral.

 

Katie McClure (R) and Mark D'Amico raised $A555,000 to get homeless Johnny Bobbitt off the streets. The couple has been accused of misappropriating funds and ordered by a judge to give the money to Bobbitt. Picture: Supplied
Katie McClure (R) and Mark D'Amico raised $A555,000 to get homeless Johnny Bobbitt off the streets. The couple has been accused of misappropriating funds and ordered by a judge to give the money to Bobbitt. Picture: Supplied

 

But once the money started coming in, they said Bobbitt was blowing it on drugs and tried to withhold it for his own benefit.

The couple claimed they've spent half the funds on housing and other expenses for Bobbitt

Bobbit once blew through $25,000 ($A35,000) cash in under two weeks, they claimed to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

 

Homeless man Johnny Bobbitt alleges that D'Amico and McClure mismanaged a large part of the donations raised for him on GoFundMe. Picture: David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP
Homeless man Johnny Bobbitt alleges that D'Amico and McClure mismanaged a large part of the donations raised for him on GoFundMe. Picture: David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP

The homeless veteran then filed a lawsuit to stop the couple from spending what remains from the GoFundMe campaign.

 

This article first appeared in the New York Post and is republished with permission.

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