A Philadelphia couple who helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a homeless man has allegedly kept the amount for themselves.
The story dates back to October 2017, when Kate McClure ran out of petrol on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and was helped by Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless man.
Bobbitt, out of kindness, paid his last remaining $20 to the stranded woman which inspired her to the point that she ended up creating a GoFundMe page in November for raising funds for the kind-hearted man.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the campaign hit off and raised a staggering $402,706 within 9 months. And that’s when the story took a surprising but cruel turn!
Bobbitt is now claiming that he has received just a small portion of the amount raised for him.
“From what I can see, the GoFundMe account raised $402,000 and GoFundMe charged a fee of approximately $30,000,” Bobbitt’s lawyer Chris Fallon told CNN.
“Mark D’Amico and Kate McClure gave Johnny about $75,000. There should be close to another $300,000 available to Johnny.”
Fallon added that he and another attorney, Jacqueline Promislo, are trying to get the funds back to their client.
Bobbitt is worried that the couple has squandered his money.
While Kate and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, claimed that they were just withholding around $200,000 and had paid roughly the same to him.
They also claimed that Bobbitt had lavishly spent tens of thousands of dollars in a couple of weeks.
Bobbitt, in turn, has asked them the source of money for the new BMW, Kate – a receptionist at the New Jersey Department of Transportation – drives. He also raised concerns about the holiday trips, the couple was enjoying in California, Florida and Las Vegas.
The GoFundMe page at first stated: “The first thing on the list is a NEW Home which Johnny will own!!”
However, Bobbitt, who was promised a new home among many other things, has returned back on the streets and has become more addicted to drugs than he ever was.
He is currently living in a camper van near where the couple lives on the land owned by Kate’s family.
The crowdfunding website said in a statement that they were “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 honored.”