Woman pleads guilty to state charges for $400,000 GoFundMe scam
CAMDEN, N.J. -- The New Jersey woman involved in the GoFundMe scam that made national headlines pleaded guilty to state charges on Monday.
Kate McClure, 28, was charged with theft by deception. She faces four years in prison.
McClure pleaded guilty federal charges last month.
The homeless veteran involved in the scheme, 36-year-old Johnny Bobbit, pleaded guilty to both federal and state charges last month.
McClure's boyfriend, Mark D'Amico, doesn't face any federal charges. He was charged last fall in state court with theft and conspiracy.
D'Amico has denied wrongdoing.
TIMELINE: Key events in the GoFundMe hoax investigation
Prosecutors contend Bobbitt, McClure and D'Amico, made up the story in 2017 and even faked photos of themselves standing on the street at the scene of the purported exchange. Blow-ups of the photos were displayed in court Friday.
The trio gained widespread recognition, and more than 14,000 donors contributed through GoFundMe, ostensibly to help Bobbitt. But it was all a scam, Burlington County prosecutors said, intended to enrich the three co-conspirators.
GoFundMe has said it refunded the donations.
Authorities began investigating last year after Bobbitt sued the couple for allegedly not giving him the money.
The couple claimed the cash would be donated to Bobbitt, but New Jersey authorities said the three split the money and spent lavishly, including on a BMW, designer bags and trips to Las Vegas and elsewhere.
More than $85,000 in cash was withdrawn at, or near, casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and in Pennsylvania, prosecutors have said.
Their tale inspired thousands, but things began to unravel when Bobbitt accused McClure and D'Amico of stiffing him out of the money , causing an investigation to be launched.
The fraud didn't stop with the GoFundMe page, according to prosecutors. The trio did interview after interview, posed for photos together, revisited the spot where they claimed their first encounter happened and went on "Good Morning America." The Associated Press prominently featured their story.
