Attorney: Woman in GoFundMe case says she was used and set up
MOUNT HOLLY, New Jersey -- The GoFundMe hoax saga has taken a new turn: The woman accused in the scam is turning against her now ex-boyfriend and the homeless veteran.
McClure and then-boyfriend Mark D'Amico made headlines last year when they launched a viral GoFundMe campaign for Johnny Bobbitt, who they said spent his last $20 to buy gas for McClure after she was stranded along I-95 in Philadelphia. Claiming they wanted to "pay it forward," they raised hundreds of thousands, but attorneys revealed Thursday that it was actually a criminal scheme.
Now, McClure says s she was being used and set up.
"She is a wonderful person, and the other side of that is that she's a bit naive," said McClure's attorney James Gerrow.
According to investigators, McClure and D'Amico met Bobbitt at a local casino, befriended him and came up with the scam. Meanwhile, Gerrow says his client did not know that D'Amico and Bobbitt knew each other.
"All along, Kate had no idea that there had been a conspiracy really between D'Amico and Bobbitt to get money through GoFundMe," he said.
She now claims D'Amico had concocted the gas station story, and Gerrow says she went along with it because she "thought she was helping a homeless veteran."
The goal was to raise $10,000, but the GoFundMe page quickly ballooned to over $400,000.
"And Bobbitt said to D'Amico, 'Look, you folks have done a lot for me. I wanna give you $250, 000,'" Gerrow said.
While the homeless man got his share of the money, the couple would go on to buy cars, trips to Disneyland and Vegas, among other places.
But the scheme fell apart when the homeless man complained publicly that he had been ripped off. Ultimately, investigators would determine that hero homeless veteran helping a stranded motorist was all a hoax.
McClure's attorney blames the hoax on Bobbitt and D'Amico's alleged addictions.
"It's my view that Mr. D'Amico suffers a gambling addiction, and Mr. Bobbitt suffers a heroin addiction," he said.
McClure's attorney says she and D'Amico are no longer together and haven't been since September.
Their first court appearance is scheduled for December 24, Christmas Eve, although he says it is unlikely they will appear in person.
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