Homeless man pleads guilty to GoFundMe viral hoax
US military veteran and New Jersey woman admit making up good samaritan story purely for profit

A homeless man and a New Jersey woman have admitted manufacturing a viral hoax that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through a crowdfunding website.
US military veteran Johnny Bobbitt, 36, pleaded guilty in court to conspiracy to commit money laundering while Katelyn McClure, 28, admitted wire fraud.
For the federal charges, McClure faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be sentenced on 19 June, according to ABC News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bobbitt, who will be sentenced at a later date, could be sentenced to a maximum of ten years in prison.
The two also face state charges in New Jersey, as does Mark D’Amico, who was McClure’s boyfriend when the crimes were committed.
In 2017 the three “wove an irresistible yarn”, says The New York Times. They claimed Bobbitt gave McClure his last $20 when her car ran out of petrol near Philadelphia in November 2017. The couple posted to the crowdfunding website GoFundMe saying they wanted to raise $10,000 to thank him and get him off the streets.
The campaign, which quickly went viral, raised more than £310,000, which McClure and D’Amico said they would release to Bobbitt once he had completed a drug rehabilitation programme.
But instead, authorities say the trio “split the cash and blew it on lavish trips and designer goods”, says the New York Post.
Officials say the couple spent it on a BMW, a New Year’s trip to Las Vegas, visits to Disney theme parks and designer handbags.
The couple “allegedly withdrew over $85,000 at casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and a Philadelphia suburb”, says the BBC.
Bobbitt later sued the couple, saying he did not get his fair share of the donations. He said he “only received $75,000, including an $18,000 trailer bought for him and parked at the couple’s home”, adds the broadcaster.
This led New Jersey authorities to open an investigation into the fundraising page. This uncovered a text message McClure sent to a friend acknowledging the story was “completely made up”.
In November, prosecutors alleged that it was a scam perpetrated by all three individuals. “The paying-it-forward story that drove this fundraiser might seem too good to be true,” said Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina. “Unfortunately, it was. The entire campaign was predicated on a lie.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
The New Jersey 'UFO' drone scare
In the Spotlight Reports of mysterious low-flying aircraft provoked outlandish theories, but old-fashioned hysteria appears to have been to blame
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published