Johnny Bobbitt, the homeless man who claimed he used his last $20 to help a woman who had run out of gas, and whose story turned out to be a lie, has been sentenced for his role in the GoFundMe scam that shook those who thought the story was real.
Bobbitt will not spend time behind bars, but instead was sentenced to five years' probation for conspiring with the woman he was said to have saved, Katelyn McClure, and her boyfriend at the time, Mark D'Amico, The Associated Press reported.
He will also have to pay restitution, WABC reported.
Bobbitt must meet certain conditions, including inpatient drug treatment and testifying against McClure and D’Amico, or he could be sentenced to spend five years in jail with no possibility of parole for at least 18 months.
Sentence is 5 years special drug court probation with immediate transfer to inpatient facility. If Bobbitt doesn’t complete program his probation becomes a 5 year prison sentence. https://t.co/Y2wPqgmU1Y
— Cleve Bryan CBS3 (@CleveBryan) April 12, 2019
Bobbitt admitted to working with McClure and D'Amico in the GoFundMe scam to get money for all three people. The campaign raised more than $400,000 from more than 14,000 donors, all of whom have been repaid by GoFundMe, CBS News reported.
Prosecutors and law enforcement agencies investigated the scam once Bobbitt sued McClure and D'Amico for his cut of the money, which the couple had used to purchase a new car and expensive vacations, the AP reported.
Bobbitt pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
Both McClure and Bobbitt have pleaded guilty to other federal charges in the case, WABC reported. They will be sentenced later in the year for those charges, WPVI reported.
But McClure and D'Amico have pleaded not guilty to the state charges they face, according to WABC.
D'Amico is not facing federal charges, NBC News reported.
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