# Homeless Man Who Helped Woman is Now Suing Her



## SeaBreeze (Aug 30, 2018)

There was a heartwarming story on the news last year about a homeless man helping a woman.  She evidently made a Go Fund Me page for him as a thank you, her goal was $10,000.  Well, it seems that her 'goal' kept increasing with the donations up to over $400,000.

She bought a camper for the homeless man and put it on her property, and gave him small amounts of money which he seemed to have spent on drugs.  Meanwhile, she is said to have spent most of the money to improve her own lifestyle and spending.  So now he's suing her, more here.









> *Update, 8/30/18, 6:33 p.m. ET:* A judge ordered  the couple Thursday to turn over the remaining money to their defense  lawyer, who was directed to place it in a trust fund, the Cherry Hill  Courier-Post reports.
> *Original story: *Last Thanksgiving's viral, heartwarming story  of a homeless man's good deed, and the $400,000 of GoFundMe money  raised in his honor, has taken an ugly turn that will be displayed for  all to see in a Burlington County courtroom on Thursday.
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 30, 2018)

What a story! I don't recall hearing about this before. How could something so good go so wrong? This man is ill and needs a rehab program. 

Something bout the name Bobbit, hmmm.....


----------



## Aunt Bea (Aug 31, 2018)

Only in America!


----------



## hollydolly (Aug 31, 2018)

OH Gosh yes...I read that the other day. That's the trouble with these gofundme style fundraisers, anyone can set one up, and there's no legislation, so anyone can use the money inappropriately..


----------



## C'est Moi (Aug 31, 2018)

Good grief; what a bunch of losers.   They probably created the entire story as a scam.   (And don't get me started on GoFundMe; the modern way to beg.  )


----------



## Shalimar (Aug 31, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> Good grief; what a bunch of losers.   They probably created the entire story as a scam.   (And don't get me started on GoFundMe; the modern way to beg.  )


Wow.


----------



## CindyLouWho (Aug 31, 2018)

Well, if the couple's *true intent* was to help the homeless man out by setting up a GoFundMe account, then a separate account should have been set up in his name only and whatever he did with the money was his business. So I guess it speaks for itself what their intentions might have been from the get-go. Geez.


----------



## Lara (Aug 31, 2018)

I only donate to GoFundMe pages for people I know. The rest I just don't know if it's a scam or not. Too bad these people ruin it for the ones who greatly need help.


----------



## fmdog44 (Aug 31, 2018)

Let's not leave out charities & churches that spend most of the money on nice houses and cars for their officers. No difference. I get calls from police organizations asking for money once or twice a year and i simply say "no" because I never give money over the phone


----------



## C'est Moi (Aug 31, 2018)

Shalimar said:


> Wow.



Indeed.


----------



## C'est Moi (Aug 31, 2018)

CindyLouWho said:


> Well, if the couple's *true intent* was to help the homeless man out by setting up a GoFundMe account, then a separate account should have been set up in his name only and whatever he did with the money was his business. So I guess it speaks for itself what their intentions might have been from the get-go. Geez.




Agree.   Telling that the couple felt they were entitled to use some of the money for themselves.


----------



## AprilT (Aug 31, 2018)

Money and greed who knew it brings out the worst in so many people even those who seem so nice.


----------



## rgp (Aug 31, 2018)

As I have maintained...ya cannot help those that do not want help. And as per stats, most homeless do not want [help] . What they really want is a hand out, so they can continue their ways, what ever they are. Usually some sort of dependency . They will feign a desire to 'change'/'better themselves' , but that is really nothing more than a con....then back to life as they want it.


----------



## WhatInThe (Aug 31, 2018)

Until a person wants to change on their own, for themselves not others things like drug abuse will continue. They have to really want it.

But this GoFundMe. 

I would've flipped that money into a trust or lawyer with any accounting or legal fees to come from the trust/account itself. But unless the couple put in stipulations or conditions for the money they shouldn't be controlling it. If they did use for themselves that amounts to fraud because the original premise was for the homeless guy, not them. 

Sad because people who need a gofundme or could use that kind of charity will have a harder time getting it.


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 1, 2018)

A judge ruled in favor of homeless guy. Also told to couple to make a list of where and what money was spent on.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/...rn-over-gofundme-cash-raised-for-homeless-man

Even a drug addict with problems it's still his money. Maybe a relative or social worker can get a judge to put the money in a trust or something.


----------



## RadishRose (Sep 1, 2018)

I agree, it's his money. The people that gave, gave to him.


----------



## terry123 (Sep 1, 2018)

RadishRose said:


> I agree, it's his money. The people that gave, gave to him.


You are right Rose!  I donate to GoFundMe if I know the people and know the situation.


----------



## fmdog44 (Sep 1, 2018)

Will the judge ask how many bottles of booze and how many pounds of drugs will be used with the money? Help those that DESERVE help.


----------



## Shalimar (Sep 1, 2018)

This man is a veteran, chances are he self medicates in order to deal with the hell that is PTSD. I don’t feel qualified to judge him. I honour his humanity. He gave his last twenty dollars to help a stranger? How many of us would do the same?


----------



## C'est Moi (Sep 1, 2018)

Shalimar said:


> This man is a veteran, chances are he self medicates in order to deal with the hell that is PTSD. I don’t feel qualified to judge him. I honour his humanity. He gave his last twenty dollars to help a stranger? How many of us would do the same?



I don't judge him at all.   But I do have a problem with the people setting up a GoFundMe account for HIM, then taking part of the money.


----------



## Falcon (Sep 1, 2018)

The man's  name  "Bobbitt"  brings to mind another  story  about the name.

Something regarding  a kitchen  knife,  a vacant  field  and a man's penis.

I'm thinking her name was Lorena.  Am I right?

(Google  Lorena Bobbitt  and read the whole story.)


----------



## Shalimar (Sep 1, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> I don't judge him at all.   But I do have a problem with the people setting up a GoFundMe account for HIM, then taking part of the money.


I agree.


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 1, 2018)

terry123 said:


> You are right Rose!  I donate to GoFundMe if I know the people and know the situation.



I think the donors thought they were donating to a homeless person and vet, not a drug addict. I think donations would've been less if they knew he had a drug problem. But it was donated to/for him, not those trying to help him.

I can't think of the guy's name but there was a street person/ street corner work for food/begger who had the perfect radio announcer voice and was given a job along with 15 minutes of fame. Thought I read where he was back on the street, in rehab or something. The long standing issues have to be dealt with in someway, money doesn't cure everything.


----------



## Butterfly (Sep 1, 2018)

In my view, the couple defrauded the donors, pure and simple.  The donors gave money to help the homeless man.  Whether or not the couple approves of the homeless man's lifestyle vis-a-vis drugs or whatever else, they've no right to withhold money from him that donors donated to HIM.  People donated money to him and it is  his  money, not theirs.  They are neither his guardians nor his conservators.

To me, it's a pretty transparent (and despicable) scam to line their own pockets at the expense of both the homeless guy and the donors.


----------



## C'est Moi (Sep 5, 2018)

Update:   All the money is gone.    https://6abc.com/society/all-gofundme-money-is-gone-attorney-for-homeless-man-says/4144230/



*All GoFundMe money is gone, attorney for homeless man John Bobbitt says*


_All  GoFundMe money is gone, attorney for homeless man says. Chad Pradelli  reports during Action News at 4:30pm on September 4, 2018._

_The  attorney for Philadelphia homeless man John Bobbitt, whose act of  kindness led to a $400,000 GoFundMe fundraiser to presumably help him,  said all of the cash raised in his client's name is gone._

_Attorney  Chris Fallon said he found this out during a conference call with the  attorney for Kate McClure and Mark D'Amico on Tuesday morning._

_Bobbitt  and his attorney accused the couple of spending a large portion of the  money on themselves and sued to find out where the money had gone._

_An attorney for the couple, Ernest Bradway, has declined comment._


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 5, 2018)

I'm watching this story progress and the only thing I'm trying to figure out is did the woman/couple flatout scam the homeless guy or did all three agree to it at first then the homeless realized he was getting scammed by the scammers?


----------



## C'est Moi (Sep 5, 2018)

Beats me, but I read in one story that the woman is driving a new BMW.   I'm sure all those who donated to the GFM are happy about that.


----------



## Butterfly (Sep 6, 2018)

WhatInThe said:


> I'm watching this story progress and the only thing I'm trying to figure out is did the woman/couple flatout scam the homeless guy or did all three agree to it at first then the homeless realized he was getting scammed by the scammers?



Don't forget that the couple scammed and defrauded the people who donated money, who donated to help a homeless guy, not to help some dishonest yuppie couple upgrade their lifestyle.

I think all the blame lies squarely at the door of the couple, and I hope the judge throws the book at them.


----------



## hollydolly (Sep 6, 2018)

Butterfly said:


> Don't forget that the couple scammed and defrauded the people who donated money, who donated to help a homeless guy, not to help some dishonest yuppie couple upgrade their lifestyle.
> 
> I think all the blame lies squarely at the door of the couple, and I hope the judge throws the book at them.



100% agree!!!


----------



## Linda (Sep 6, 2018)

According to the story the couple used some of the money to buy the man a trailer to live in and had it put on their property.  Why in the world would a couple want a man they don't know living on their property?  That could be quite unsafe.  With $400,000 they could have set him up somewhere else.  I hate GoFund Me as it's abused quite often.  I really think the couple is in the wrong here.

Yes Falcon, I remembered the same thing when I saw the name Bobbitt.  Lorena amputated her husband's penis for committing adultery, if memory serves me right.


----------



## C'est Moi (Sep 6, 2018)

I saw a news report this morning that there was a search warrant being carried out on their property and the BMW was towed away.   Tsk.


----------



## applecruncher (Sep 6, 2018)

Hmmm. Something fishy about this story from the get-go, imo.


----------



## Giantsfan1954 (Sep 6, 2018)

How could anyone be so stupid to think they could get away with this...


----------



## hearlady (Sep 7, 2018)

What a joke. I'm sure that man would have been happy to be reimbursed his $20 and another $20 added to it for his trouble.


----------



## Butterfly (Sep 7, 2018)

fmdog44 said:


> Will the judge ask how many bottles of booze and how many pounds of drugs will be used with the money? Help those that DESERVE help.



Probably not.  That is not the point here.

The point is that here people gave money without qualification to this man, and the couple used the money for themselves, which is basically theft.  It was not their place, nor is it the judge's, to put qualifications on how he uses the money.  People gave to the homeless man and it is HIS money, not the couple's.  Whether the man deserves help is not the issue -- the issue is that the couple wrongfully used the money that was intended for him.

If you ask me for money for Mr. Smith and I give it to you to give to him, do you then have the right to keep that money for yourself because you do not approve of what he wants to spend it on?  The answer is NO, and that's this case in a nutshell.


----------



## Sunny (Sep 8, 2018)

Good point, Butterfly. I agree completely.


----------



## RadishRose (Sep 8, 2018)

Ditto!


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 8, 2018)

Giantsfan1954 said:


> How could anyone be so stupid to think they could get away with this...



If the homeless guy wasn't in on it my guess is the couple wrote the guy off as a drug addict or didn't think he was sharp enough to realize what they were doing. The story from the get go was ify. I think the couple and/or woman went looking for drugs, ran across and befriended the homeless guy. Who leaves home, drives a car on empty without a few bucks or credit card in their pocket. Wonder what her last $20 was spent on?


----------



## oldman (Sep 8, 2018)

I am embarrassed to say this, but I found out that two years ago, my nephew put up a "Fund Me" page stating that he needed a new engine for his car. In reality, he told those of us that he told this story to that he really needed the money for himself to catch up on bills. I didn't know if this was illegal or not, so I just walked away from the group. He is single and likes to live like a 5 year old playboy. 

He spouted this story about how he bought a new Hyundai (I think) and the engine went out, but Hyundai would not replace it because he did not keep up with the maintenance. It sounds logical and may be true, but is it? He lives some 225 miles from me, so maybe yes, or maybe no.


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 8, 2018)

oldman said:


> I am embarrassed to say this, but I found out that two years ago, my nephew put up a "Fund Me" page stating that he needed a new engine for his car. In reality, he told those of us that he told this story to that he really needed the money for himself to catch up on bills. I didn't know if this was illegal or not, so I just walked away from the group. He is single and likes to live like a 5 year old playboy.
> 
> He spouted this story about how he bought a new Hyundai (I think) and the engine went out, but Hyundai would not replace it because he did not keep up with the maintenance. It sounds logical and may be true, but is it? He lives some 225 miles from me, so maybe yes, or maybe no.



The experts have talking about the lack of formalities with Gofundme since this case started. An actual charity has much more accountability and transparency. Perhaps were at the point the gofundmes should be posting follow ups on the recipients and/or those who set it up. One way is to make the recipient post receipts for what ever they bought. This homeless guy should've been forced to submit rental or morgage paperwork for house or apartment and receipts from a drug rehab facility(with personal info redacted). Doesn't have to be a criminal issue but donors should know where their money went to.


----------



## applecruncher (Sep 8, 2018)

oldman said:


> I am embarrassed to say this, but I found out that two years ago, my nephew put up a "Fund Me" page stating that he needed a new engine for his car. In reality, he told those of us that he told this story to that he really needed the money for himself to catch up on bills. I didn't know if this was illegal or not, so I just walked away from the group. He is single and likes to live like a 5 year old playboy.
> 
> He spouted this story about how he bought a new Hyundai (I think) and the engine went out, but Hyundai would not replace it because he did not keep up with the maintenance. It sounds logical and may be true, but is it? He lives some 225 miles from me, so maybe yes, or maybe no.



Curious - how much money did he collect?


----------



## Olivia (Sep 8, 2018)

applecruncher said:


> Curious - how much money did he collect?



The Go Fund Me account raised $400,000.


----------



## applecruncher (Sep 8, 2018)

Olivia said:


> The Go Fund Me account raised $400,000.



Yes, I know that Olivia. I wasn't referring to the homeless man story.

My question was directed to *Oldman,* I was asking how much his nephew collected.


----------



## applecruncher (Sep 8, 2018)

oldman said:


> I am embarrassed to say this, but I found out that two years ago, my nephew put up a "Fund Me" page stating that he needed a new engine for his car. In reality, he told those of us that he told this story to that he really needed the money for himself to catch up on bills. I didn't know if this was illegal or not, so I just walked away from the group. He is single and likes to live like a 5 year old playboy.
> 
> He spouted this story about how he bought a new Hyundai (I think) and the engine went out, but Hyundai would not replace it because he did not keep up with the maintenance. It sounds logical and may be true, but is it? He lives some 225 miles from me, so maybe yes, or maybe no.



^^

*Oldman,* how much did *your nephew* collect?


----------



## applecruncher (Sep 8, 2018)

I'm not implying that the homeless guy was in on the scam, but ...

Think how easy it would be for three people to pull this off.  One could pose as a destitute homeless person, then the other 2 could set up a scenario where he helped them, tell a few people, they tell more people, a GoFundMe account is set up, voila!

People often donate/give money without verifying need and without following up - and I'm not just referring to GoFundMe.

Years ago I was friends with a couple who told me about an acquaintance of theirs who asked them for money because he was behind in his rent.  They refused because he'd abruptly quit a decent job and they suspected he had a gambling problem.

Long to short, the guy found out about a prominent church that helped people financially, he gave some sob story and they (the church) contacted his landlord and found out he was behind in rent, which they paid directly to the landlord.  Then he went to some social service agency and got his utilities paid. However, he continued to max out his credit cards getting cash advances and gambling.


----------



## Giantsfan1954 (Sep 8, 2018)

There really is 0 accountability. 
I set one up for a close friends grandson who needs a kidney transplant,is being raised by a single mom on not much above minimum wage,treatment is 2+ hours from their small town and its one of those cases where she doesn't accrue anytime,so no work,no pay.
Anyway,it got somewhere in the neighborhood of 800.00 and the donations had pretty much dropped off so they made a mutual decision to close it.
The daughter and the grandson didn't have bank accounts so my friend the grandmother,put her bank information in and it was deposited into her account and she sent a check to them,we're in NYS,the family is down South.
All it asked for was her account info,she didnt need to provide any proof of any kind that she was related or anything, not even a SS number.
I think its a good idea for people to help people but I also think it should probably have some safety features so that something like this doesn't become more common. ..maybe it will.
Hell,if I call my bank for a balance check,I need my moms maiden name and the last 4 of my social.


----------



## StarSong (Sep 8, 2018)

Looks like GoFundMe will make up the difference of whatever money this couple scammed from him.   
http://www2.philly.com/philly/news/...-money-kate-mcclure-mark-damico-20180906.html

AC, formerly homeless people *with addiction problems *are quite straightforward with their advice to not give cash, gift cards, etc., to addicts because it enables them and delays their recovery.  However, this isn't true of people who are homeless because of economic difficulties.  

I wish there were an easy way for people and agencies to know the difference.  In the meantime, I very rarely give money to street people and don't respond to GoFundMe requests.  I'd rather make donations to our local food banks and mission outreach organizations.


----------



## Sunny (Sep 8, 2018)

The thieves will unfortunately always be with us!


----------



## HipGnosis (Sep 9, 2018)

I use https://www.charitynavigator.org/ before giving any $ to any charity.


----------



## Linda W. (Sep 12, 2018)

I hope they sell all the couple's valuables and give it to the man. It was raised for him, not the two crooks that spent most of it on themselves. Sometimes in the case of a person whose mind is obviously not working right and no relative to take charge of finances, the courts set things up to appoint a responsible person to pay bills and give that person a bit of money for food. As I recall, the original idea with this guy was to buy him a home, but obviously the couple wanted most of the money themselves. They thought, since he was obviously a drunk, he'd just go away when they stopped giving him any money.


----------



## Butterfly (Sep 12, 2018)

Isn't there any regulation of the gofundme thing?  As I understand it, the GoFundMe people get a percentage of what they've collected.  What's to stop someone from just setting up a  GoFundMe thing for a nonexistent person, then taking the money for themselves -- GoFundMe gets a commission off the fraudulent plea, bad guys get the money and everybody's happy?  

I don't think that anyone but the person for whom the GoFunMe account was set up to benefit should be able to get the money unless they can show that they are a legally appointed guardian or conservator for the person for whom the money is intended.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Nov 15, 2018)

Turns out it was a get rich quick scam and they were all in on it from the start, more here.  



> The story goes that McClure ran out of gas and became stranded last October, and Bobbitt Jr. helped her out with his last $20.
> 
> 
> The page was titled “Paying it Forward,” and the response was incredible: 14,347 people donated $402,706 over the course of 10 months.
> ...


----------



## Aunt Bea (Nov 15, 2018)

SeaBreeze said:


> Turns out it was a get rich quick scam and they were all in on it from the start, more here.



I saw that on the news this morning, very sad.

We had a much smaller scam in this area recently where three people were going door to door soliciting contributions for a little girl that is battling cancer.  The little girl is real and the story is true but the people collecting the money were pocketing it for themselves.


----------



## StarSong (Nov 15, 2018)

All too often, people who are "helping" are really helping themselves.  I've become increasingly careful about where I send my charitable donations.  St. Jude and NPR remain on the top of my list.


----------



## WhatInThe (Nov 15, 2018)

Not surprised. The story was shaky from the get go then when things cameout like the guy suing for his 'share' it sounded like a failed business deal.


----------



## Butterfly (Nov 15, 2018)

I hope they throw the book at all three of them.


----------



## applecruncher (Nov 15, 2018)

Agree, prison time for all three I hope.


----------



## Warrigal (Nov 16, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> They probably created the entire story as a scam.)



BINGO !

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11...ho-raised-550000-gofundme-conspiracy/10504332

Ooops. Should have read the whole thread.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Dec 27, 2018)

Looks like the people who were scammed into donating are getting their money refunded....very good!  More here.  



> Prosecutors announced charges in November  against three people who allegedly concocted a feel-good story of  kindness to attract donations in October 2017.  People donated more than  $400,000 to the cause.
> 
> GoFundMe spokesman Bobby  Whithorne said Tuesday that "all donors who contributed to this GoFundMe  campaign have been fully refunded" and that the organization was  cooperating fully with law enforcement.
> 
> ...


----------

