A New Jersey woman who took part in a scam to dupe thousands of people hoping to help a homeless veteran, has received a three-year prison term for state charges arising from the fraud.
Kate McClure stands with Mark D'Amico, center, and Johnny Bobbitt Jr. in a November 2017 photo.
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. – A New Jersey woman who took part in a scam to dupe thousands of people hoping to help a homeless veteran, hasKatelyn McClure, a former state Department of Transportation worker, also is barred from ever holding another position as a public employee, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said.in November 2017, claiming that homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt Jr. had given his last $20 to McClure when her car ran out of gas in Philadelphia.
The couple launched a GoFundMe campaign, ostensibly collecting money to help Bobbitt get his life in order. The campaign, which featured a photo of McClure, D'Amico and Bobbitt outside a gas station, went viral and some 14,000 donors contributed $402,000. But prosecutors said McClure, 32, and D’Amico, 43, both of Florence, New Jersey, used most of the money for personal expenses, including gambling trips, a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon and lavish purchases.
"Within a few months of the campaign’s creation, all of the donated funds had been spent," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
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