Police raid home of couple who raised $400,000 for homeless man
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Dakin Andone and Evan Simko-Bednarski, CNN
(CNN) — Police executed a search warrant Thursday morning to comb through the home of the couple who raised $400,000 for a homeless Philadelphia man.
It’s the latest twist in an escalating feud over the money and what happened to it.
Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico have been embroiled in a legal fight with Johnny Bobbitt Jr. after they started a GoFundMe account for him. They said they were touched by his kindness after Bobbitt gave his last $20 to McClure for gas when she became stranded on Interstate 95 in October.
According Florence Township, New Jersey, police Chief Brian Boldizar, the warrant was for a search of a property belonging to McClure and D’Amico.
In a statement, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina confirmed a search warrant had been executed “in connection with a criminal investigation into the Johnny Bobbitt matter” but said the couple have not been charged with anything.
The viral feel-good story began to deteriorate last month after Bobbitt’s attorney, Chris Fallon, accused the couple of withholding a large portion of the funds from his client.
Fallon said the veteran had only been given about $75,000. After GoFundMe’s fees, the lawyer said, Bobbitt should have received about $300,000 more.
But an attorney for McClure and D’Amico said they provided Bobbitt with more than $200,000, according to CNN affiliates WPVI and KYW.
On Wednesday, a New Jersey judge ordered the couple to appear at a deposition on Monday to answer questions about the funds, saying she was no longer comfortable with hearing only from their attorney.
GoFundMe has said it’s working with law enforcement to see that Bobbitt receives all of the money raised on his behalf, though his attorney claimed he learned the money is gone.
According to WPVI and KYW, McClure and D’Amico had the money they raised on GoFundMe in their personal accounts, Bobbitt’s lawyer said.
Reached for comment Thursday morning, the couple’s attorney, Ernest Badway, told CNN, “We have no comment.”
The couple told The Philadelphia Inquirer they gave Bobbitt some of the money but were withholding the rest until he got a job and was drug-free.
According to Fallon, Bobbitt has a drug addiction problem and plans to participate in a monthlong rehab program.