Kate McClure and Mark D'Amico say they have released a large portion of the money but will not give the rest until Johnny Bobbit Jr. is drug-free. Bobbit's attorney says he has only received a small fraction and the rest of the money is gone.
Police in the US executed a search warrant to look through the home of a couple who became infamous for raising $400,000 for a homeless man from Philadelphia, after reports that the pair were withholding a large sum of the money - or may have even spent it.
Kate McClure and Mark D'Amico are now embroiled in a legal fight with Johnny Bobbitt Jr. after they started a GoFundMe campaign for him after Bobbitt gave his last $20 to McClure for gas when she became stranded on Interstate 95.
Burlington County Prosecutor, Scott A. Coffina, confirmed in a statement that a search warrant had been executed 'in connection with a criminal investigation into the Johnny Bobbitt matter'. He also said the couple had not been charged with any wrongdoing for the moment.
What started out as a viral story that pulled at the heartstrings has now become a bitter issue given Bobbitt's attorney, Chris Fallon, accused the couple of withholding a large portion of the funds from his client.
Fallon said the veteran who has been sleeping rough had only been given about $75,000; taking into account GoFundMe's fees, Bobbitt should have received about $300,000 more, he said. However, an attorney for McClure and D'Amico said they provided Bobbitt with more than $200,000, CNN reports.
A New Jersey judge ordered the couple to appear at a deposition on Monday to formally answer questions about the money’s whereabouts, saying she was no longer comfortable solely hearing from their attorney.
GoFundMe announced it is working with law enforcement to see that Bobbitt receives all of the money, even though his attorney has claimed that all the money's gone.
International media reported that McClure and D'Amico placed the raised funds in their personal accounts, according to Bobbitt's lawyer. The couple told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Bobbitt received some of the money but were withholding the rest until he got a job and got off drugs.
Bobbitt’s attorney admits that he has a drug addiction problem and is planning to participate in a month-long rehab programme to get clean.