Under a prior plea agreement, a man accused by prosecutors of having orchestrated a GoFundMe campaign that raised $400,000 from a false story has been sentenced for five years in prison. According to Law & Crime.
Mark D’Amico, one of those responsible for the once well-known “Paying it Forward”GoFundMe campaign was previously sentenced for 27 months in federal prison, but will serve both terms concurrently.
According to authorities, D’Amico and his then-girlfriend Katelyn McClure fabricated a story in which Johnny Bobbitt Jr., a homeless man, gave McClure “his last $20”to purchase gas when she was “stranded alone at night”On the side of a Philadelphia road.
“The campaign listed a goal of $10,000 to provide Bobbitt with rent for an apartment, a reliable vehicle and six months of living expenses, among other things,” prosecutors said, according to Law & Crime.
The story went viral, with 14,000 people donating to a cause that they thought would lift Bobbit out of poverty. The couple raised $14,000 More than $400,000.
“But it was all a lie, and it was illegal. Our office is pleased to bring justice for the more than 14,000 kind-hearted people who thought they were helping someone who was living in a desperate situation.” Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw stated according to Law & Crime.
According to prosecutors, the couple used the excess funds for casino gambling and personal items like a BMW, a New Year’s trip to Las Vegas, a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon, and Louis Vuitton handbags, Law & Crime reported.
The authorities claimed that they found the lie after McClure, D’Amico, and McClure reportedly spent most the funds without paying Bobbitt any.
According to prosecutors, Bobbitt took civil action after he allegedly only received approximately $75,000 of the funds raised on his behalf, Law & Crime reported.
According to the outlet, Bobbit and McClure pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the fraud.
Bobbit pled guilty in a case of conspiracy to steal by deception. According to the New York Post, and was able to avoid prison time and instead will be finishing an addiction treatment program. McClure pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy for wire fraud and was sentenced one year and one day in prison.