New Jersey lady sentenced to 3 years in state jail for position in GoFundMe scam

A New Jersey woman was sentenced Friday to 3 several years in point out jail on point out theft expenses after beforehand pleading responsible above a GoFundMe fraud that raised additional than $400,000 in on the web donations.

Katelyn McClure, 32, was not existing in the Mount Holly courtroom when Decide Christopher J. Garrenger handed down her sentence owing to her at this time serving a a single-12 months and one particular-day phrase in federal jail in Connecticut, in accordance to a push release from the business of the Burlington County Prosecutor. McClure’s New Jersey sentence will run concurrently with her federal just one.

McClure previously labored as a point out Office of Transportation employee and has been forever barred from at any time functioning as a general public employee once again.

“This sentencing brings to a shut a situation that defrauded far more than 14,000 persons whose decency and compassion for other folks elicited a enormously heartwarming reaction to aid another person they thought was truly in have to have,” Prosecutor LaChia L.Bradshaw claimed in the press statement.

NEW JERSEY Lady SENTENCED TO Jail FOR VIRAL $400K GOFUNDME Fraud FOR HOMELESS VETERAN

McClure was charged in 2018 along with her then-boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, for generating a crowdsource funding page on GoFundMe’s web page titled “Paying out It Forward,” whereby donors could purportedly support a homeless Philadelphia veteran named Johnny Bobbitt.

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The GoFundMe fraud started in 2017 just after D’Amico took a picture of McClure and Bobbitt standing in front of an exit ramp in Philadelphia. The tale connected to the photo specific how Bobbitt experienced put in his very last $20 to enable McClure soon after she had operate out of fuel.

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The campaign initially posted a purpose of $10,000 to support Bobbitt which would address apartment rent, a car, and six months’ really worth of residing costs amid other merchandise. The three went on to conduct a lot of newspaper and television interviews, with the donations at some point surpassing the intention and exceeding $400,000. Each McClure and D’Amico then spent the donations on personalized expenses, which include on line casino gambling, a BMW, and a Las Vegas journey.

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All the donated money were at some point spent in a span of just a few of months, with Bobbitt then having civil motion from both equally D’Amico and McClure whereby he alleged he only gained element of the cash.

D’Amico pled guilty in December 2019 and was sentenced to five yrs in point out prison, with his term also operating concurrently with a federal just one. Both of those he and McClure have been ordered to totally reimburse GoFundMe.

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Bobbitt pled responsible in March 2019 to conspiracy to dedicate theft by deception in the next degree and was then admitted to the New Jersey Judiciary’s Restoration Courtroom method.

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The GoFundMe scam turned out to be the “biggest fraud perpetrated by way of the crowdfunding organization” at the time, in accordance to the press release. GoFundMe voluntarily reimbursed people who donated to the scam webpage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.