- The DOJ released that Mark D’Amico had pleaded guilty to his involvement in the $400,000 GoFundMe fraud.
- Johnny Bobbitt Jr. and Katelyn McClure pleaded guilty previously to charges related the the scam.
- According to D’Amico, the maximum sentence for his offense is 20 years imprisonment.
Federal court has sentenced a New Jersey man to a guilty plea for his involvement in a GoFundMe scam of $400,000 that falsely claimed to aid a veteran experiencing homelessness. In a Monday press release, the US Attorney’s Office stated that.
Mark D’Amico, who was involved in the 2017 fraud, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy for the commission of wire fraud at the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. D’Amico, along with his accomplices, accepted money from online donors under the false pretense that the cash would benefit a homeless veteran.
According to D’Amico’s plea deal, Insider obtained, the maximum sentence for conspiracy to commit wirefraud could be 20 years in prison and a $250,000 penalty.
According to Insider, D’Amico was charged with 15 other charges, including conspiring to conceal and engage in monetary transactions in property derived via wire fraud. According to court documents obtained by Insider, the plea agreement stated that the US Attorney’s Office would dismiss any remaining charges if D’Amico plead guilty and was sentenced to the conspiracy to commit wirefraud charge.
According to the press release, the guilty plea of the 42-year old came two years after two other co-conspirators, Katelyn McLure and Johnny Bobbitt Jr. pleaded guilty in March 2019 respectively to the same conspiracy and another charge for conspiracy to commit money laundering. The release stated that McClure Jr. and Bobbitt Jr. still await sentencing.
According to press releases, which cite court documents and statements, the scam started in November 2017 when D’Amico & McClure created a GoFundMe page. They claimed they were trying to raise money for Bobbitt.
McClure and D’Amico, McClure were his girlfriend. McClure said that McClure met Bobbitt as she was driving back from Philadelphia. Bobbitt gave her his last $20 to help her. This inspired them to create a GoFundMe account to support him.
Investigators proved that the story was fabricated.Scott Coffina, Burlington County Public ProsecutorABC News reported that investigators believed D’Amico had met McClure outside of a Philadelphia casino around one month prior to the GoFundMe scam. According to the criminal complaint, the district attorney stated that Bobbitt met D’Amico while he was working in Philadelphia.
Bobbitt joined Marines as a Marine in 2002. He left Marines 14 months later. The Marine Corps Times reported 2017Citing the Marine Corps’ Manpower and Reserve Affairs Office.
After the fake story spread online and was promoted in media outlets, the GoFundMe scam raised $400,000 by over 14,000 donors in less than a month.
Bobbitt was notified of the fraud and the amount of money that the couple had raised in November 2017. He agreed to it and participated in the scheme, according the Department of Justice (DOJ), which cites court statements and case documents. According to the DOJ, the couple gave Bobbitt $25,000 cash in December 2017 after helping him open a bank account.
Scott Coffina, Burlington County Public ProsecutorAccording to ABC News, investigators believe that D’Amico met Bobbitt in Philadelphia at a 2017 news conference. This was around one month before the couple began the GoFundMe scam.
McClure and D’Amico, who were at the time dating, spent a lot of money on personal items such as clothing and a BMW. D’Amico also gambled with some of it.
Bobbitt sued McClure and D’Amico in August 2018 for taking $75,000 from the scam. A judge ordered McClure and D’Amico to transfer all remaining money from the fund into a frozen trust, which would then be controlled by Bobbitt.
December 2018 GoFundMe stated that it had refunded fundsThank you to everyone who donated to the scam fundraising.
According to DOJ’s release D’Amico’s sentencing date is March 28, 2022.
McClure and Bobbitt attorneys didn’t immediately respond to inquiries for comment.