A Couple Raised 400K for Homeless Man, and Now the Money Is All Gone
Man, people REALLY suck sometimes. Remember how we talked about those heartwarming stories that don’t turn out to be so heartwarming? Well, there’s been another one dominating the news lately, and now we’ve learned just how shitty the story turned out. Remember John Bobbitt, the homeless man who gave his last $20 to a stranded motorist so she could get gas? THAT was a selfless act, and he was rightly praised. The motorist he helped, Kate McClure, shared his act of kindness on social media, and it went viral.
With the help of her boyfriend Mark D’Amico, McClure started a GoFundMe to raise money to help Bobbitt get off the streets. It was a smashing success, and eventually raised $400,000. But then a couple of weeks ago, the story turned sour. There were accusations of money being withheld from Bobbitt, who said he only got about $75,000 of the $360,000 that was owed to him (GoFundMe takes a hefty chunk in fees). Well, it gets even worse, because people are terrible.
John Bobbitt eventually sued the couple, demanding that they turn over the funds raised for him. More than 14,000 people donated to the fundraiser, presumably thinking Bobbitt would get the money.
A NJ Superior Court judge is expected to hold hearing tomorrow in the ongoing litigation over $400k in GoFundMe donations. Attorney for John Bobbitt says the $ is gone. He learned that today during conference call. How it was spent is unclear. pic.twitter.com/50l1vNWlpT
— Chad Pradelli (@chadpradelli) September 4, 2018
When the amount of money raised climbed to $400,000, McClure and D’Amico said they intended to use the money to buy Bobbitt a house and set up two trusts in his name. Bobbitt has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and they claimed to want to safeguard his windfall. But, according to Bobbitt’s attorney Chris Fallon, they instead used the money to go on lavish trips and buy themselves expensive items like a Louis Vuitton purse.
Fallon says he found out during a conference call with attorneys for the couple that the money was all gone. All $360,000 of it. Bobbitt claims he received about $75,000, which leaves about $285,000 unaccounted for. Last week, McClure and D’Amico were ordered to give Bobbitt what remained of the donated funds, but they failed to do so by the Friday deadline. They also failed to turn over a full accounting of how the money had been spent.
John Bobbitt is back on the streets. He says, “I always felt like I was in a weird situation. I didn’t want to be pressuring to get a lawyer or do anything because I didn’t want to seem ungrateful.”
Kate McClure works as an administrative assistant for the state of New Jersey. Mark D’Amico works as a carpenter. Within a few months of raising the money for Bobbitt, they began posting pictures of themselves at parties in Las Vegas, on helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon, and sitting front row at The Book of Mormon in New York City. Their attorney says they gave Bobbitt over $200,000 from the GoFundMe, but Bobbitt says that is not accurate. A judge is expected to hold a hearing on the case this week.
