Homeless Samaritan suing couple who raised funds to help him

CindyB · #1 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 05:42 PM

https://www.10tv.com/article/homeles...funds-help-him

Quote:

Homeless Samaritan suing couple who raised funds to help him

PUBLISHED: 08/29/18 12:58 PM EDT UPDATED: 3 MINUTES AGO
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) —

A homeless man whose selfless act of using his last $20 to fill up the gas tank of a stranded motorist in Philadelphia got him worldwide attention is suing the couple who led a $400,000 fundraising campaign to help him.

Johnny Bobbitt says he's concerned that Mark D'Amico and Katie McClure have mismanaged a large part of the donations raised for him on GoFundMe . The New Jersey couple denies the claims, saying they're wary of giving Bobbitt large sums because they feared he would buy drugs.

Bobbitt's lawsuit contends the couple committed fraud by taking money from the fundraising campaign for themselves. He's seeking undisclosed damages, and his lawyers want a judge to appoint someone to oversee the account.

A hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.

McClure set up the online fundraiser page as a way to give back to Bobbitt, who came to her aid when she ran out of gas on an Interstate 95 exit ramp late one night. It raised more than $400,000 in funds donated by more than 14,000 people.

Bobbitt walked a few blocks to buy McClure gas. She didn't have money to repay him at the time, but sought him out days later to give him the money, and visited him a few more times to bring food and water. They later appeared on shows like "Good Morning America" and were interviewed by the BBC.

But the relationship has since gone sour.

Christopher C. Fallon, one of Bobbitt's lawyers, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the legal action was taken after D'Amico ignored multiple requests for a full accounting of the money raised by the GoFundMe campaign.

"He's really left us with no choice but to go forward," said Fallon, one of two pro bono lawyers from Cozen O'Connor in Philadelphia whom Bobbitt retained last week.

McClure and D'Amico have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or misusing any of the money. D'Amico has said Bobbitt spent $25,000 in less than two weeks in December on drugs, in addition to paying overdue legal bills and sending money to his family.

The couple also bought Bobbitt a camper with some of the funds and parked it on land McClure's family owns in Florence. But Bobbitt became homeless again after D'Amico told him in June that he had to leave the property.

During an appearance Monday on NBC's "Megyn Kelly Today" show, D'Amico told Kelly there was well over $150,000 left of the donations.

No good deed goes unpunished.

CindyB · #2 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 05:50 PM

Uh-Uh, may be more to the story. There always is, isn't there?

Couple who took in Johnny Bobbitt say they will open the books to show where $400,000 in donations were spent and what remains

Dog Man · #3 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CindyB

https://www.10tv.com/article/homeles...funds-help-him

No good deed goes unpunished.

The majority of homeless live that way because they do not want to abide by any rules or regulations. When you have a job, you are told what to do, and when you have a place to stay, you have rules and bills.

We all feel a little sorry for them, but if you were able to track that persons life up to that point, you would say Damn! no wonder!

Manitou · #4 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 05:53 PM

The love and cultivation of stupid habits is the downfall of everybody, good or bad. May karma visit that joker soon.

Dog Man · #5 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CindyB

Uh-Uh, may be more to the story. There always is, isn't there?

Couple who took in Johnny Bobbitt say they will open the books to show where $400,000 in donations were spent and what remains

I wonder if that is the same John Bobbit that got his pecker cut off? Anybody remember that? Wasn't that in Philly?

Dog Man · #6 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manitou

The love and cultivation of stupid habits is the downfall of everybody, good or bad. May karma visit that joker soon.

Yep, bad decisions and bad habits, day in and day out will get you homeless fast.

Zenock · #7 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 06:22 PM

I would be interested in knowing where the money went. They say they gave him 25K in cash that he spent on drugs for himself and others.

The claim is there is only 200K in cash left. I find it hard to believe that in less than a year they spent 175K on him. But who knows, maybe.

If they open the books and everything is on the up and up, I'm OK with them not just handing over the money to him if he has a proclivity for drugs.

I'll withhold judgement until I know more.

Lumara · #8 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dog Man

The majority of homeless live that way because they do not want to abide by any rules or regulations. When you have a job, you are told what to do, and when you have a place to stay, you have rules and bills.

We all feel a little sorry for them, but if you were able to track that persons life up to that point, you would say Damn! no wonder!

Yup. I watched a documentary where a homeless man was given $100,000. He got an apartment, spent over half of the money on a truck and then spent most of the rest on "friends." In less than a year, the money was gone and he was back to living on the streets. Some people don't know anything but poverty because of dumb choices they make.

CindyB · #9 (**permalink**) 08-29-2018, 06:59 PM

They bought him a camper to live in and let him park it on their land for quite some time so he was probably using their utilities.

Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Dog Man · #10 (**permalink**) 08-30-2018, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumara

Yup. I watched a documentary where a homeless man was given $100,000. He got an apartment, spent over half of the money on a truck and then spent most of the rest on "friends." In less than a year, the money was gone and he was back to living on the streets. Some people don't know anything but poverty because of dumb choices they make.

I worked with homeless people back in the 80's, not as an advocate, but alongside them, they were what I called working homeless. They would work and save up a couple grand, then quit and live off that money as long as they could. I got into their heads and asked a lot of questions, and unlike a homeless advocate, they told me the truth.

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