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Couple ordered to turn over funds raised for homeless man

MOUNT HOLLY (AP) — A couple who raised more than $400,000 for a homeless man after he used his last $20 to fill up the gas tank of a stranded motorist in Philadelphia must now turn over what’s left of the cash.

A New Jersey judge issued the order Thursday during a hearing on the lawsuit brought by Johnny Bobbitt , who worries Mark D’Amico and Katie McClure have mismanaged a large part of the donations raised for him on GoFundMe.

The couple deny those claims, saying they’re wary of giving Bobbitt large sums because they fear he will buy drugs.

The judge ordered the couple to transfer the money into an escrow account by the end of business Friday and hire a forensic accountant to review the financial records within 10 days.

The money will be transferred to an account controlled by Bobbitt’s lawyers but can’t be used until the judge determines how it will be managed. The judge didn’t appoint a guardian to oversee the fund, but one could be appointed later.

McClure set up the online fundraiser page as a way to give back to Bobbitt, who came to her aid when she ran out of gas on an Interstate 95 exit ramp late one night. It raised more than $400,000 in funds donated by more than 14,000 people.

Bobbitt walked a few blocks to buy McClure gas. She didn’t have money to repay him at the time, but sought him out days later to give him the money, and visited him a few more times to bring food and water. They later appeared on shows like “Good Morning America” and were interviewed by the BBC.

But the relationship has gone sour.

McClure and D’Amico have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or misusing any of the money. D’Amico has told the Philadelphia Inquirer he spent $500 of the GoFundMe money to gamble because he didn’t have his casino card one night, but said he repaid it with his winnings.

D’Amico has said Bobbitt spent $25,000 in less than two weeks in December on drugs, in addition to paying overdue legal bills and sending money to his family.

The couple also bought Bobbitt a camper with some of the funds and parked it on land McClure’s family owns in Florence. But Bobbitt became homeless again after D’Amico told him in June that he had to leave the property.

During an appearance Monday on NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today” show, D’Amico told Kelly there was well over $150,000 left of the donations.

FILE – In this Nov. 17, 2017, file photo, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., left, Kate McClure, right, and McClure's boyfriend Mark D'Amico pose at a Citgo station in Philadelphia. Bobbitt, a homeless man whose selfless act of using his last $20 to fill the gas tank of a stranded motorist in Philadelphia drew worldwide attention, filed suit against D'Amico and McClure, the couple who led a $400,000 GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help him, contending the couple mismanaged donations and committed fraud by taking contributed money for themselves. A hearing is scheduled Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
This photo taken Aug. 15, 2018, shows Johnny Bobbitt Jr., the homeless veteran who gave $20 for gas for Kate McClure, back on the streets with his brother. Bobbitt, who helped a stranded motorist in Philadelphia, said he is panhandling once again and using drugs, and he has no access to the money raised on his behalf.He gained worldwide attention when he used his last $20 to fill up the gas tank of stranded motorist Kate McClure in November 2017.(David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
This photo taken Aug. 15, 2018, shows Johnny Bobbitt Jr., the homeless veteran who gave $20 for gas for Kate McClure, back on the streets with his brother. Bobbitt, who helped a stranded motorist in Philadelphia, said he is panhandling once again and using drugs, and he has no access to the money raised on his behalf.He gained worldwide attention when he used his last $20 to fill up the gas tank of stranded motorist Kate McClure in November 2017.(David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Ernest E. Badway, right, attorney for Mark D’Amico and Kate McClure avoids talking with reporters after a hearing in Burlington County Superior Court in Mt. Holly, NJ on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. Attorneys for Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless Philadelphia man, appeared in court on Thursday for the first court hearing after Bobbitt filed an injunction against a Burlington County couple who raised $400,000 last fall to get him off the streets. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Burlington County Superior Court Presiding Chancery Judge Paula T. Dow speaks during a hearing in Mt. Holly, NJ on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. Attorneys for Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless Philadelphia man, appeared in court on Thursday for the first court hearing after Bobbitt filed an injunction against a Burlington County couple who raised $400,000 last fall to get him off the streets. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Chris Fallon, attorney for Johnny Bobbitt, appears in Burlington County Court in Mt. Holly, NJ on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. Attorneys for Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless Philadelphia man, appeared in court on Thursday for the first court hearing after Bobbitt filed an injunction against a Burlington County couple who raised $400,000 last fall to get him off the streets. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Ernest E. Badway, attorney for Mark D’Amico and Kate McClure makes a point in Burlington County Superior Court in Mt. Holly, NJ on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. Attorneys for Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless Philadelphia man, appeared in court on Thursday for the first court hearing after Bobbitt filed an injunction against a Burlington County couple who raised $400,000 last fall to get him off the streets. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Chris Fallon, attorney for Johnny Bobbitt, speaks with the media after a hearing in Burlington County Superior Court in Mt. Holly, NJ on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. Bobbitt, a homeless man whose selfless act of using his last $20 to fill up the gas tank of a stranded motorist in Philadelphia got him worldwide attention, is now suing the couple who led a $400,000 fundraising campaign to help him. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)