The woman at the center of the $400k GoFundMe scam organized as a fundraiser for the homeless vet who gave away his last $20 to a stranded motorist, was sentenced Thursday to one year in federal prison.
Katelyn McLure, 32, was also sentenced to three years of supervised parole after her release and was ordered to pay back the $400,000 that was swindled from kind-hearted individuals who donated to the bogus online campaign.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Katelyn McClure and her boyfriend at the time, Mark D’Amico, created the GoFundMe under the guise of “paying it forward” to Johnny Bobbitt Jr., a homeless man who reportedly used his last $20 for gas after McClure was stranded on a Philadelphia highway late at night in November 2017.
The inspiring story quickly grabbed media attention and the public was eager to help the down-and-out former vet. Over 14,000 people donated to the fraudulent campaign with the intention of helping the Good Samaritan find housing and pay living expenses.
The feel-good story began to unravel when a media outlet reported that Bobbitt was again homeless in the summer of 2018. The former marine, who was homeless and a drug addict, sued the couple for not giving him the proceeds from the online fundraiser. This prompted an investigation into the credibility of GoFundMe.
Text messages show McClure and D’Amico met Bobbitt near the SugarHouse Casino and were…
