Charity Case

We talked about Ludacris stepping up to buy groceries for people in a jam the other day, and here was a story that seemed to start off in the similar vein.

It's one of the ones I call a "morning show big deal" because when things like this happen, "Good Morning America," "Today," "CBS This Morning," and all the cable outlets fall all over themselves to cover it for a day or two.  It's in the same category as a high school math teacher taking off for a tropical paradise with a cheerleader, or a couple that met twenty years ago hooking back up thanks to a dry cleaner who thought they'd be a good match...

Last fall, a woman in Philadelphia, Kate McClure, was driving home on I-95 when she ran out of gas. She left the interstate to an abutment below, where she encountered John Bobbitt, a man without a home. Bobbitt offered her help, and spent $20 - his bottom dollar - on gas to put in McClure's car. 

Well. She got home and, together with her boyfriend Mark D'Amico, put together a GoFundMe page to get Bobbitt out of homeless status and reward his generosity.

D'Amico and McClure face the music led by Megyn Kelly on a show on NBC I never watch.

Oh, the money poured in, with people digging deep to shell out something to make Bobbitt whole again. McClure said the plan was to get Bobbitt a vehicle and a home, and $402,706 filled the coffers.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Uh, no.

That dream vehicle turned out to be a 1999 Ford Ranger, which was not even a decent vehicle in 1999, and the home turned out to be a trailer, registered to McClure and parked on her family's property.

Now it's a matter for the courts. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the Florence Township Police have raided the D'Amico-McClure home as charges fly that the couple pocketed most of what they took in.

They hauled away boxes and bags full of evidence and a new BMW.

Chris Fallon, an attorney for Bobbitt, says that since all this came to light, the online donations have vanished.

Medic accounts report that Bobbitt is a veteran dealing with substance abuse problems. He has sued the couple, saying that they used the GoFundMe loot as a "personal piggy bank" to "fund a lifestyle they could not otherwise afford," according to The Associated Press.

The AP goes on to say that "The couple's lawyer said Bobbitt has gotten about $200,000. But Bobbitt's lawyer said he had received only about $75,000, which includes the value of a camper and a 1999 Ford Ranger."

That must mean it's like a $73,000 camper!

The judge in the case has ordered McClure and D'Amico to submit written depositions this week to make an account for the money they raised.

WPVI, 6ABC in Philly, says that an attorney for McClure and D'Amico is using the Fifth Amendment to keep his clients safe from self-incrimination.

I'm not saying anyone did anything wrong here. You can infer what you will. But the next time I see someone reaching out their hand for a handout for someone else, I might just keep both of mine in their pockets.