A COUPLE who raised more than £310,000 for a homeless ex soldier in what prosecutors claim was an elaborate GoFundMe con have split up.
Mark D’Amico and Kat McClure face up to ten years in jail after they were accused of conspiring with destitute Johnny Bobbitt to create their money-spinning scheme.
McClure’s lawyer has now revealed she has parted ways with D’Amico and accuses him of taking advantage of her during the alleged money-spinning scam.
“They are not living together anymore and she’s not taking his calls,” attorney James Gerrow told Fox 29.
When asked if McClure believes D’Amico betrayed her, the lawyer said there was “no question about that”.
Gerrow said McClure claims she only wanted to help Bobbitt, the homeless, drug addicted veteran introduced to her by her former boyfriend.
“Kate was being used by both Mr D’Amico and Mr Bobbitt,” said Gerrow.
Bobbitt gained worldwide attention when he used his last £15 to fill up the gas tank of stranded motorist McClure in November 2017.
McClure and her boyfriend D’Amico then started a GoFundMe campaign in return, promising that Bobbitt would have a home.
But Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina has said almost no part of the tale was true – McClure didn’t run out of petrol and Bobbitt didn’t spot her in trouble and give her money.
Instead, the group are said to have met near a Philadelphia casino in October 2017 shortly before the three told their story.
Bobbitt, 35, was arrested Wednesday night by U.S. marshals in Philadelphia and remained in custody Thursday.
D’Amico, 39, and McClure, 28, surrendered to authorities Wednesday night and were released. Their attorney said they have no comment.
All were charged with theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
The charges carry prison time of up to five to 10 years.
Prosecutors began investigating after Bobbitt claimed he wasn’t getting the money that had been raised on his behalf. He later sued the couple.
The prosecutor said “there’s a good chance” the alleged fraud might not have been uncovered had Bobbitt not brought a civil suit earlier this year alleging that the couple mismanaged the funds.
The investigation began after the lawsuit was brought and parts of the group’s story “didn’t ring true,” Coffina said.
In one text exchange in March 2018, McClure worried that she and D’Amico had less than $10,000 remaining, but D’Amico wasn’t concerned, Coffina said.
He was certain that a book deal they were pursuing would “dwarf” the money from the GoFundMe fundraiser and a few months later, when the dispute with Bobbitt became public, D’Amico was not dissuaded, according to the prosecutor.
Instead D’Amico pitched a title that would encompass the controversy: “No Good Deed.”
In an interview with the Inquirer last week, D’Amico said he controls the money and will start dispensing it when Bobbitt gets a job and stops using drugs.
“Giving him all that money, it’s never going to happen. I’ll burn it in front of him,” he said, adding that giving an “addict” the money would be like “giving him a loaded gun.”
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Instead of the house they promised to buy him the couple bought him a camper van and put it on land owned by a relative.
Investigators searched the Florence, New Jersey, home of D’Amico and McClure in September after questions arose about what happened to the money they raised for Bobbitt.
GoFundMe said in a statement that people who donated money would get a full refund in the coming days.
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https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/girlfriend-facing-10-years-for-conning-gofundme-donors-out-of-300k-claims-she-wanted-to-help-homeless-man-but-her-boyfriend-betrayed-her/
News Pictures Girlfriend facing 10 years for conning GoFundMe donors out of £300k claims she wanted to HELP homeless man – but her boyfriend ‘betrayed her’
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
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Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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