Couple Who Raised Over $400,000 for Homeless Veteran Ordered by Judge to Give Up Funds

A couple who set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $400,000 homeless veteran has been ordered by a Judge to hand over the funds. The order comes after the formerly homeless veteran filed a lawsuit against them for mismanaging his funds and possibly mixing them with their own. The money will primarily remain frozen until it is decided how the account will be managed.

Last year in December, Kate McClure found herself out of gas on the I-95 while on the way to her friend’s house in Philadelphia. McClure was aided by a homeless veteran, Johnny Bobbitt, who told her to stay in the car while he used his last $20 to buy her gas. McClure was so moved by this gesture that she and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico created a GoFundMe campaign to help Bobbitt’s situation. The campaign raised over $400,000, exceeding its original goal of $10,000.

The relationship between Bobbitt and the couple seems to have deteriorated given that the former has filed a lawsuit against them over the management of the funds. McClure and her boyfriend decided to manage Bobbitt's funds due to fear of him using the money for drugs. According to the suit, Bobbitt is concerned that the couple has mishandled the funds raised by the campaign. The couple states they have given Bobbitt about $200,000 of the funds while Bobbitt’s lawyer says he has only received $75,000.

As of Thursday, a New Jersey judge has ordered the couple to transfer all the money raised for Bobbitt into an escrow account until the judge determines how and by who the account will be managed. There will also be an investigation into the couples finances to decide whether they misused Bobbitt's funds.