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Johnny Bobbitt back in New Jersey to answer to charges in GoFundMe fraud case

Bobbitt to appear in Drug Court, a diversionary program for drug addicts that allows them to plead guilty and be admitted into drug rehabilitation facility and intensive monitoring.

FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2018 file photo, Johnny Bobbitt stands during a hearing Burlington County Courthouse in Mt. Holly, N.J. A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Bobbitt, a homeless veteran charged with engaging in a GoFundMe scheme after he failed to make a scheduled court appearance. Bobbitt was due in a New Jersey court Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, to face charges that he violated court-ordered conditions that allowed for his release from jail while awaiting trial. (David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2018 file photo, Johnny Bobbitt stands during a hearing Burlington County Courthouse in Mt. Holly, N.J. A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Bobbitt, a homeless veteran charged with engaging in a GoFundMe scheme after he failed to make a scheduled court appearance. Bobbitt was due in a New Jersey court Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, to face charges that he violated court-ordered conditions that allowed for his release from jail while awaiting trial. (David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, Pool, File)Read more( AP PHOTO / DAVID SWANSON / The Philadelphia Inquirer ) / AP
    by Jan Hefler
    Updated 
    Published 

Johnny Bobbitt Jr., the formerly homeless veteran charged in the $402,000 GoFundMe fraud case, has a new hearing date next month before the New Jersey Drug Court, a diversionary program that allows eligible people addicted to drugs to undergo intensive rehabilitation instead of criminal prosecution.

Bobbitt, who was recently arrested in Fishtown, was extradited to New Jersey on Monday and sent to the Burlington County Jail for violating the terms of his release. Superior Court Judge Mark Tarantino issued a warrant for Bobbitt’s arrest, saying he had failed to provide the court with information about his living arrangements and proof he was staying off drugs, among other things, after his release in December.

Bobbitt, 35, is now scheduled for a status hearing in Drug Court on Feb. 22 before Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Garrenger in Mount Holly.

Bobbitt and his codefendants, Katelyn McClure and Mark D’Amico, were charged with fraud, conspiracy, and theft by deception after they were accused of launching a bogus GoFundMe campaign designed to prey on the sympathies of donors who believed the money would be used to help Bobbitt get off the streets.

The trio are accused of fabricating a tale in November 2017 about how Bobbitt spent his last $20 to fetch gasoline for McClure when her car ran out of gas at night in the area where Bobbitt was panhandling. More than 14,000 donors around the world contributed to the cause, and GoFundMe has said it has refunded the money and is cooperating with authorities.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said McClure and D’Amico, formerly of Florence Township in Burlington County, squandered much of the money on gambling trips to casinos, vacations, designer handbags, and other items, while Bobbitt was given a camper to live in adjacent to their home and used some of the money for illegal drugs.

John Keesler, Bobbitt’s public defender, has said Bobbitt was accepted into the Drug Court program and is expected to plead guilty to one or more charges in exchange for enrolling in drug rehabilitation. Keesler could not be reached for comment Monday.