‘Homeless’ vet admits scam
United States
Johnny Bobbitt, the homeless vet who conspired with a Burlington County couple to spin a feel-good story that captured hearts across the country and raised US$400,000 (NZ$590,000) in a Gofundme campaign, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering yesterday in federal court in Camden.
Bobbitt, 36, could face from six to 30 months in federal prison for his crime.
One of his co-defendants, Kate Mcclure, 28, also admitted her role in the scheme yesterday and pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She faces up to 33 months in prison.
Bobbitt, Mcclure and her former boyfriend, Mark D’amico, still face conspiracy and theft by deception charges in a case brought by Burlington County prosecutors. That case is still pending.
The three are accused of cheating 14,000 donors around the world who contributed money to help Bobbitt after they fabricated a story to raise funds they said would be used to get Bobbitt off the streets. They told donors Bobbitt had come to Mcclure’s rescue when she ran out of gas off an exit on I-95 in Philadelphia on a cold night in the fall of 2017. Their story went viral and the three appeared on national television to promote the campaign.
In court, Bobbitt, whose shaggy hair was trimmed, was demure and said little more than ’Yes, your honour’ during the proceeding before U District Court Judge Jerome Simandle.
He admitted that he helped concoct the Good Samaritan story and said he opened a bank account to receive US$25,000 of the donations in December 2017. He said D’amico helped him open the account and Mcclure deposited the money. He also said he agreed to allow a photograph of him with the couple to be posted online to encourage more donations.
Mcclure, who was nervous and polite at the brief court hearing before Simandle, admitted that she used wire services and used the donations to make electronic payments when she and D’amico took vacations, bought a BMW and purchased personal items.
She will be sentenced June 19. The judge released her on US$100,000 unsecured bond and restricted her travel to the continental US She was also ordered to have no contact with her codefendants, victims and any witnesses.
The entire Gofundme campaign, prosecutors say, was based on a lie. With D’amico, 39, Bobbitt and Mcclure are accused of duping donors and spending the Gofundme donations on themselves.
The couple bought Bobbitt a camper, and he lived for a time on property Mcclure’s family owns in Florence, N.J. They also gave Bobbitt about US$25,000, prosecutors say, some of which he spent on drugs. – TNS