Katelyn McClure is the New Jersey woman behind the Katelyn McClure GoFundMe scam, a 2017 crowdfunding fraud in which she, her then-boyfriend Mark D’Amico, and a homeless veteran named Johnny Bobbitt Jr. invented a feel-good story about Bobbitt spending his last $20 to help her on a Philadelphia highway. The “Paying It Forward” campaign raised more than $400,000 from over 14,000 donors, none of it used as promised. McClure pleaded guilty in both state and federal court and was sentenced to three years in New Jersey state prison, served concurrently with a one-year-and-one-day federal term.
The Story She Made Up
The campaign launched on November 10, 2017, and told donors that McClure had run out of gas on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and that Bobbitt, living near an off-ramp, had spent his last $20 to buy her fuel. McClure and D’Amico said they were raising money to get Bobbitt housing and a car. National media picked it up as a holiday feel-good story, and within weeks the fund had drawn roughly 14,000 donors and about $400,000, netting approximately $367,000 after GoFundMe’s platform fees.1WHYY. Woman Gets 3 Years in Bogus Good Samaritan Online Fundraiser
Less than an hour after the page went live, McClure texted a friend: “Ok, so wait. The gas part is completely made up. The guy isn’t. I had to make something up to make people feel bad.”2KCRA. Police Say Woman in $400K GoFundMe Scam Texted Friend About the Made Up Stuff Investigators later established that McClure, D’Amico, and Bobbitt had known each other for at least a month before the campaign, having met near the SugarHouse Casino’s I-95 off-ramp in Philadelphia, where Bobbitt was living.3ABC News. Prosecutors Set to Make Announcement in Case of Jersey Couple Who Raised $400K On launch day, D’Amico photographed McClure posing with Bobbitt near the exit ramp to give the story visual weight.
Where the $400,000 Went
The couple treated the donations as personal money. Within roughly four months, it was all gone. Investigators traced the spending in detail:
- A BMW purchased for about $24,400 and a recreational vehicle for $18,350.
- More than $85,000 in cash withdrawn at or near casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, the Philadelphia area, and Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
- Trips to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Disney World, plus designer handbags and other personal items.
By March 2018, McClure’s bank account was in the negative, and the bank closed it two months later.46ABC. Timeline: Key Events in the GoFundMe Hoax Investigation Prosecutors said Bobbitt himself received approximately $75,000.5CNN. GoFundMe Prison Scam New Jersey Homeless Man
How It Came Apart
The fraud collapsed in the summer of 2018 when Bobbitt sued McClure and D’Amico for withholding his share of the donations. The lawsuit drew media attention and prompted the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office to open a criminal investigation.66ABC. GoFundMe Scam: Kate McClure Sentenced Prosecutors reviewed roughly 60,000 text messages among the participants. In one March 2018 exchange, McClure worried that less than $10,000 was left while D’Amico floated a book deal he wanted to call “No Good Deed.” In a September 2018 audio recording, D’Amico said, “You don’t go to jail for lying on TV.”46ABC. Timeline: Key Events in the GoFundMe Hoax Investigation
Investigators executed a search warrant at the couple’s Florence Township home on September 6, 2018. Financial records confirmed the full $367,000 in net proceeds was gone.2KCRA. Police Say Woman in $400K GoFundMe Scam Texted Friend About the Made Up Stuff All three were charged in late 2018 with theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
McClure’s Sentence
Before the scam, McClure worked as a receptionist for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. She was suspended after the charges were announced.7CBS News. Homeless GoFundMe Scam: Katelyn McClure Suspended From State Job
In federal court, McClure pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge carrying a maximum of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.8U.S. Department of Justice. Bordentown, New Jersey Woman and Philadelphia Man Admit Roles in Scheme to Launder Money and Defraud GoFundMe Donors On July 21, 2022, U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle sentenced her to one year and one day in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and $400,000 in restitution. Her sentence was lighter than D’Amico’s in part because she cooperated with investigators.9ABC7. GoFundMe Scam: Kate McClure in Court, Sentenced She served her federal time at FCI Danbury in Connecticut, with a scheduled release from federal custody on July 2, 2023.10Courier-Post. Katelyn McClure Gets Prison Term, Barred From Public Employment
In state court, she had pleaded guilty in April 2019 to one count of second-degree theft by deception. On January 6, 2023, a Burlington County Superior Court judge sentenced her to three years in New Jersey state prison, to run concurrently with the federal term. Because she was already at Danbury, she was not present in the Mount Holly courtroom.11NPR. GoFundMe Bogus Fundraising Sentence: 3 Years The sentence also permanently barred her from future New Jersey public employment and ordered her, together with D’Amico, to fully reimburse GoFundMe.1WHYY. Woman Gets 3 Years in Bogus Good Samaritan Online Fundraiser
What Happened to D’Amico and Bobbitt
Prosecutors called D’Amico the “accused ringleader.”126ABC. GoFundMe Scam: Mark D’Amico, Katelyn McClure, Johnny Bobbitt Jr. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and, on April 1, 2022, received 27 months in federal prison, three years of probation, a $20,000 fine, and his share of $400,000 in restitution, along with counseling for gambling, drug use, and mental health.13ABC7NY. Homeless Man GoFundMe Scam: Mark D’Amico Sentenced On August 5, 2022, he was sentenced in state court to five years in New Jersey state prison, concurrent with the federal term, and ordered to make full restitution to GoFundMe.14NBC News. New Jersey Man Gets 5 Years in Prison for Role in $400K GoFundMe Scam
Bobbitt’s outcome was different. Although he was in on the fabrication from the start, his civil suit is what exposed it. He pleaded guilty in March 2019 to state conspiracy to commit theft by deception and was admitted to New Jersey’s Recovery Court program, a probation track for addiction cases, with a five-year probation term.15NBC Philadelphia. Homeless Good Samaritan Gets Probation in GoFundMe Scam In federal court, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and, in October 2022, was sentenced to three years of federal probation and $25,000 in restitution.8U.S. Department of Justice. Bordentown, New Jersey Woman and Philadelphia Man Admit Roles in Scheme to Launder Money and Defraud GoFundMe Donors
What Donors Got Back
GoFundMe refunded all 14,447 donors using its own funds, returning the original contributions along with processing and administration fees. The company cited its existing “GoFundMe Guarantee” refund policy and its “zero tolerance policy for fraudulent behavior,” and did not announce new anti-fraud measures tied to the case.16CBS News. GoFundMe Refunds Scammed New Jersey Donors176ABC. GoFundMe Refunding Pay It Forward Money to All 14K Donors