Boyfriend accused of stealing homeless man’s GoFundMe appears in court

‘It will all become crystal clear’: Man accused of swindling $400,000 from a GoFundMe he and his girlfriend started to help a homeless veteran promises an explanation for his crime as he appears in court on unrelated traffic charges

  • Mark D’Amico, who has been accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a GoFundMe Campaign, appeared in a New Jersey court on Tuesday
  • D’Amico, 39, had a hearing related to a traffic stop that occurred in October 2017
  • He showed up with his hair unkempt, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt
  • He was arrested on September 10 after failing to appear for those charges 
  • This arrest was his second in five months, related to failing to appear in court
  • D’Amico became part of a viral sensation when Johnny Bobbitt Jr, 34, was shown on camera spending his last $20 to buy gas for his girlfriend, Katelyn McClure
  • The two then set up the GoFundMe page for Bobbitt, which has since become embroiled in controversy as they’ve been accused on living high on the money
  • Meanwhile, Bobbitt has entered a drug rehab center, DailyMailTV has learned
  • Criminal investigation is underway into the GoFundMe case with no charges yet

Mark D’Amico, 39 (pictured), of New Jersey, who is accused of stealing $400,000 from a GoFundMe he helped set up for homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt, Jr., appeared in court on Tuesday stemming from unrelated traffic charges dating back to October 2017

The New Jersey man under investigation for allegedly stealing $400,000 that he and his girlfriend raised for a homeless good Samaritan veteran appeared in court on Tuesday on unrelated traffic charges.

Mark D’Amico, 39, mostly declined to address the headline-grabbing GoFundMe case involving Johnny Bobbitt, Jr.

When a reporter asked on Tuesday if everything would become clear, D’Amico responded, ‘Crystal clear.’ 

The suspect in the GoFundMe case appeared in Burlington City Municipal Court after being arrested on September 10 on a warrant related to an October 2017 traffic stop where he was found to be driving on a suspended license.

D’Amico showed up with his hair unkempt, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants, and left wearing a backwards baseball cap.

D’Amico’s arrest on September 10 was his second in five months, related to failing to appear in court stemming from the minor traffic incident.

D’Amico appeared in Burlington City Municipal Court after being arrested on September 10 on a warrant related to an October 2017 traffic stop where he was found to be driving on a suspended license

D’Amico was released from custody on September 11 after posting a $500 bond, ahead of his hearing on Tuesday. 

He first posted a $500 bond in May, on charges of failing to surrender a suspended license and failing to appear in court, also stemming from the traffic stop in October which resulted from a broken tail light, NBC reported.

In October, D’Amico was pulled over and briefly detained by Burlington City police, who realized that he was driving on a suspended license and had two warrants for his arrest.

In police dash cam video of the traffic stop, D’Amico can be heard telling police that if he had known that information, he wouldn’t have pulled over. 

‘I would’ve ran if I thought I had a warrant,’ he says, adding, ‘I wouldn’t have got far.’

D’Amico showed up with his hair unkempt, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants, and left wearing a backwards baseball cap

In October, D’Amico was pulled over and briefly detained by Burlington City police, who realized that he was driving on a suspended license and had two warrants for his arrest; That traffic stop is shown here, caught on Burlington City police dash cam

He wasn’t taken into custody at that time, as he was in the process of taking care of the warrants, NBC reported.

D’Amico was then caught on camera driving the same white Ford he was driving at the time of his initial arrest in October, while authorities executed a search warrant on his home, in hopes of gaining insight into where the money collected that was meant for Bobbitt had gone. 

D’Amico became part of a viral sensation when Bobbitt, 34, was shown on camera spending his last $20 to buy gas for Katelyn McClure, D’Amico’s girlfriend, after she became stranded on a highway in Philadelphia.

In the wake of the video, D’Amico and 28-year-old receptionist McClure set up the GoFundMe page for Bobbitt, which has since become embroiled in controversy. 

In police dash cam video of the traffic stop, D’Amico can be heard telling police that if he had known that information, he wouldn’t have pulled over

D’Amico (center) became part of a viral sensation when Johnny Bobbitt Jr, 34 (left), was shown on camera spending his last $20 to buy gas for Katelyn McClure (right), D’Amico’s girlfriend, after she became stranded on a highway in Philadelphia

Meanwhile, Bobbitt, who is originally from North Carolina but had been sleeping rough under the I-95 bridge in north Philadelphia, has gone to rehab to deal with his drug addiction, DailyMailTV can disclose.

He has entered a 30-day residential rehab program. His lawyer, Christopher Fallon Jr, told DailyMailTV on September 8: ‘It is my understanding that our client entered a recovery program yesterday.’

The move offers some hope for the man who saw a glimpse at a better life, before it was allegedly stolen out from under his feet by D’Amico and McClure. 

Although they had originally set out to raise $10,0000, some 14,000 people were so touched by Bobbitt’s kindness that they donated $400,000 to help him start a new life.

The two then set up a GoFundMe page for Bobbitt, which has since become embroiled in controversy as they’ve been accused on living high on the more than $400,000 donated

The money was supposed to be spent on a home and a truck for Bobbitt, as well as a trust and retirement fund. Bobbitt believes he received about $75,000, including the value of the camper van and truck that the couple bought him but registered in their names.

The couple have shared photos on social media of themselves taking a helicopter ride and a trip to Disney during luxury vacations to Las Vegas and LA. They also posted pictures of shopping sprees and front-row seats at a Broadway show.

They insisted that they had done nothing wrong and had not spent a single dollar on themselves.

D’Amico did admit to spending $500 from the fundraising campaign at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, though he insists he paid it all back with his winnings.

A complete accounting of where the money has gone is expected after a forensic accountant went through the couple’s finances.

Bobbitt has filed civil case against the couple, which has been put on hold until December while an investigation into potential criminal proceedings related to the raised money plays out, DailyMailTV learned.

In the civil suit, Bobbitt says they used the account as a ‘personal piggy bank’ to ‘fund a lifestyle they could not otherwise afford’.

Meanwhile, Bobbitt, who is originally from North Carolina but had been sleeping rough under the I-95 bridge in north Philadelphia, has gone to rehab to deal with his drug addiction, DailyMailTV can disclose

During a recent appearance on the Megyn Kelly Today show, D’Amico said there was well over $150,000 left of the donations.

But Bobbitt’s attorney said earlier this week that he was told all the money is gone.

Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina confirmed in a statement that a criminal investigation was taking place into the couple.


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No charges have been filed at this time against the couple related to the GoFundMe investigation. 

D’Amico has said the couple believed Bobbitt shouldn’t get the money until he was clean and would spend it responsibly, while the couple have shared photos on social media of themselves taking a helicopter ride and a trip to Disney during luxury vacations to Las Vegas and LA.

He told The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this month: ‘Giving him all that money, it’s never going to happen. I’ll burn it in front of him.’  

D’Amico has said the couple believed Bobbitt shouldn’t get the money until he was clean and would spend it responsibly, while the couple have shared photos on social media of themselves taking a helicopter ride and a trip to Disney during luxury vacations to Las Vegas and LA

In a joint statement issued on September 6, GoFundMe and the law firm representing Bobbitt said he will get an amount equal to the balance he didn’t receive through the fundraiser.

GoFundMe said it gave $20,000 to an account set up by his attorney to help him during the investigation. The company is also taking steps to allow donors who contributed to the campaign to get their money back.

Company policy states that donors have until 30 days of making their contribution to submit claims asking for a refund. But since the campaign took place 10 months ago, GoFundMe is waiving this aspect of its policy to allow donors to Bobbitt to submit claims. 

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