BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) -- A man at the center of a GoFundMe hoax has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges.
After originally pleading not guilty in January 2020, Mark D’Amico has now admitted to his role in a scheme that collected more than $400,000 in donations based on a lie, according to the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.
In 2017, D’Amico and his girlfriend at the time, Katelyn McClure, made a post on social media about their car breaking down on I-95 in Philadelphia, and a homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt, giving them his last $20 for gas. The story got national news coverage.
It was all a scam, and more than 17,000 people, touched by the "pay it forward" story, made donations. It all began to unravel when disputes over the money came up.
Federal authorities say McClure and D’Amico deposited $25,000 in the bank for Bobbitt and spent hundreds of thousands themselves on a BMW, vacations, clothes, gambling and other personal expenses over the course of a few months.
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D’Amico pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud which comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of $250,000.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March of next year.
McClure and Bobbitt have already pleaded guilty. Bobbit was sentenced to five years probation and long-term drug treatment. McClure is awaiting sentencing.
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