Homeless man says he's been scammed by a couple who raised money for him on GoFundMe

In December last year, a story went viral of a homeless man who gave a woman his last $20 after she became stranded by the side of a road in Philadelphia.

Kate McClure, who received the money from Johnny Bobbitt Jr, set up a GoFundMe campaign for him which quickly received over $300,000 donations in just two weeks.

The intention of the campaign was to raise enough money for Bobbitt to buy a home. At the time of writing the campaign currently has over $400,000 donations.

On December 3, McClure, of Burlington County, tweeted that Bobbitt had brought a new house and was planning to buy a puppy next.

However, this heartwarming story of goodwill appears to have taken a sour turn as Bobbitt has been unable to access most of the money in the campaign, which he claims is being withheld from him by McClure and her boyfriend, Mark D'Amico.

In an interview with the Philadelphia based The Inquirerhe has revealed that he is once again homeless and using drugs. Some of the money was reportedly used to buy Bobbitt a camper and a vehicle, but he has since sold both as he struggled to get over his addiction.

He now claims that around $200,000 of the remaining money is being controlled by the couple in a savings account and he will only be able to access it once he clean from drugs.

D'Amico who has reportedly been handed a suspended driving licence and arrested for failing to appear in court told The Inquirer:

Giving him all that money, it's never going to happen. I'll burn it in front of him

[Giving that money to someone who is addicted to drugs would be like] giving him a loaded gun.

In response, Bobbitt has questioned the couple's motives and suspects that they may be spending the money on themselves as he has noticed during the time he has spent with them that D'Amico spends a lot of time on gambling websites.

Ms McClure has also been spotted driving a brand new BMW, which the couple insist was purchased with their own money.

Bobbitt is quoted as saying:

I think it might have been good intentions in the beginning, but with that amount of money, I think it became greed.

Bobbitt has said that $25,000 was given to him by the couple but that was either given to friends or relatives, with the rest being spent of drugs.

In a statement to indy100, a spokesperson from GoFundMe has said that they will be looking into whether the money has been mismanaged.

GoFundMe is looking into the claims of misuse regarding this campaign. When there is a dispute, we work with all parties involved to ensure funds go to the right place.

We will work to ensure that Johnny receives the help he deserves and that the donors' intentions are honoured. GoFundMe always cooperates with Law Enforcement investigations.

Bobbitt has also confirmed that he is seeking legal options and has been in touch with his lawyers.

indy100 has contacted Kate McClure for comment.

HT BuzzFeed News

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