Woman sentenced to 3 years in state prison for veteran GoFundMe scam

Authorities say that Katelyn McClure, her boyfriend and the veteran misled people into donating more than $400,000 to help the veteran.

News 12 Staff

Jan 7, 2023, 12:25 AM

Updated 720 days ago

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A Burlington County woman has been sentenced to three years in state prison in connection to a GoFundMe scam involving a homeless veteran.
Authorities say that Katelyn McClure, her boyfriend and the veteran misled people into donating more than $400,000 to help the veteran.
The group concocted a story that McClure had run out of gas and that the homeless veteran gave her his last $20 when she was stranded.
Prosecutors said at the time that the three had met previously and cooked up the scheme to make money. They conducted newspaper and television interviews and solicited donations, ostensibly to help Bobbitt, through a GoFundMe campaign they named “Paying It Forward.”
The campaign raised more than $400,000 from about 14,000 donors in about a month and at the time was the largest fraud perpetrated through the crowdfunding platform, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities began investigating after the veteran sued the couple, accusing them of not giving him the money.
McClure was already sentenced to one year in prison on federal charges related to the scheme.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.