In the fall of 2017, 28-year-old Kate McClure praised Johnny Bobbitt, a 35-year-old homeless veteran who she says spent his last $20 to help her when her car ran out of gas in Philadelphia. Moved by the story, some 14,000 donors gave over $400,000 to rescue the man from homelessness. 
 
 As it turns out, it was all a lie. 
 
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 “The ‘pay it forward’ story that drove this fundraiser might seem too good to be true. Unfortunately it was,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said during a news conference on Thursday, adding that the trio “hoodwinked” the donors. “The entire campaign was predicated on a lie.” 
 
 McClure did not run out of gas on a Philadelphia ramp that night and Bobbitt did not spend his last $20 to help her. According to Coffina, McClure texted a friend right after setting up the GoFundMe, writing, “The gas part is completely made up, but the guy isn’t. I had to make something up to make people feel bad.” 
 
 In reality, the group initially met at an off-ramp near a casino in Philadelphia they frequented a month before they launched their campaign. 
 
 “The evidence developed over the course of this investigation demonstrates that D’Amico and McClure had known Bobbitt for at least a month or more prior to the date of the GoFundMe ‘Paying it Forward’ campaign’s launch, as they had met him on their frequent trips to a local gambling casino,” according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. 
 
 BCPO 
 
 The heartwarming tale convinced thousands of people to donate to the group’s GoFundMe to get Bobbitt off the streets. 
 
 On Thursday, Coffina announced that the trio have all been charged with second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception. D’Amico and McClure turned themselves in to the prosecutor’s office on Wednesday and Bobbitt was taken into custody in Philadelphia, he said. 
 
 The couple’s attorney, Ernie Badway, declined to comment. 
 
 Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP 
 
 RELATED: Homeless Man and New Jersey Couple Charged in GoFundMe Scam: ‘It Was Predicated on a Lie’ 
 
 Prosecutors said Bobbitt, McClure and D’Amico conspired to make up the phony story, and carried out their plan — landing themselves $402,706 in GoFundMe donations. 
 
 Their plan worked. After fees, donations amounted to more than $367,000, all of which was deposited into D’Amico’s accounts. The couple gave Bobbitt $75,000 of the money, according to Coffina. 
 
 “But he wanted his fair share of the take,” the prosecutor added. 
 
 David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP 
 
 So, Bobbitt accused the couple of withholding the money, with his attorneys filing a civil suit in August on his behalf in an attempt to get the remaining funds. But by then the money was long gone. Coffina said on Thursday that D’Amico and McClure had “squandered” the money by mid-March — about five months after setting up the GoFundMe. 
 
 Coffina said the trio would have likely gotten away with their scam had Bobbitt not wanted more money. 
 
 As the funds dwindled, D’Amico boasted about a book deal the couple had been pursuing. They planned to call it No Good Deed. The couple was even unfazed by Bobbitt’s efforts, planning to move forward with their book plan despite his accusations. 
 
 “[Bobbitt] deserves our appreciate for his willingness to serve our country as a United States Marine and he has our sympathy and concern for the homelessness he has experienced as well as his publicized struggle with addiction,” Coffina said. 
 
 RELATED: Woman Raises Over $365,000 for Homeless Vet Who Gave Her His ‘Last $20’ When She Was Left Stranded 
 
 David Swanson /The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP 
 
 “But it is imperative to keep in mind that he was fully complicit with this scheme to defraud contributors, promoting the campaign in multiple media appearances and posing with D’Amico and McClure for a Philadelphia Inquirer story in front of a gas station that he did not buy gas from.” 
 
 An attorney for Bobbitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE. 
 
 Although Coffina said the plan was a group effort, he mentioned that Bobbitt shared a “remarkably similar” story on his Facebook account. In the alleged post, Bobbitt said he “spent his supper money” to help her fix a flat tire. 
 
 That, Coffina said, is likely the story the trio worked from to concoct their plan. 
 
 This is the latest twist in what began as a feel-good story. But Coffina said GoFundMe officials are working with authorities to remedy the “fictitious, illegal” situation. 
 
 “GoFundMe has informed me that in light of the charges announced today, it will be providing a full refund to all donors of the ‘Pay It Forward’ campaign,” Coffina said. 
 
 GoFundMe officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE. ||||| A New Jersey couple and a homeless man will face charges that they lied about a Good Samaritan story in order to raise more than $400,000 on GoFundMe. 
 
 NJ Couple and Homeless Man to Be Charged With Lying About GoFundMe Story 
 
 What to Know A New Jersey couple as well as a homeless man in the GoFundMe controversy are all accused of making up the story, a source said. 
 
 Mark D'Amico, Kate McClure and Johnny Bobbitt allegedly conspired with one another to make up a story in order to raise more than $400,000. 
 
 The couple turned themselves in to Burlington County prosecutors Wednesday, the source said. It is not clear if Bobbitt turned himself in. 
 
 EDITOR'S NOTE: The newest version of this story can be found here, including the confirmed arrest and extradition of Johnny Bobbitt Jr. by Philadelphia police on Wednesday night. It will also host the livestream of a 2 p.m. press conference by prosecutors making a major announcement in the case at Old Burlington County Courthouse. 
 
 The New Jersey couple who became famous for raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for a homeless man after he helped with their disabled car — as did the homeless man himself — will all face charges for allegedly providing a false story in order to raise money for themselves, a source familiar with the case told NBC10. 
 
 Mark D'Amico, Kate McClure and Johnny Bobbitt Jr. will face charges including conspiracy and theft by deception, according to the source. 
 
 A complaint obtained by NBC10 alleges that the three conspired with one another to make up a false story in order to raise more than $400,000. 
 
 Investigators say the three deliberately prevented donors for their GoFundMe campaign from gaining information "that would affect their judgment about solicited contribution to that fundraising effort." 
 
 D'Amico and McClure turned themselves in Wednesday to Burlington County prosecutors, the source said. The source did not confirm whether or not Bobbitt turned himself in as well. 
 
 NJ GoFundMe Couple, Homeless Man to Face Charges 
 
 A close source to the case says a New Jersey couple and a homeless man made up the entire Good Samaritan story, then created a GoFundMe account. All three involved will face charges for the false story they allegedly created. (Published Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018) 
 
 A lawyer for the couple had no comment Thursday. NBC10 has also reached out to a lawyer for Bobbitt for comment. 
 
 The three initially gained fame in 2017. The couple claimed Bobbitt used $20 to help McClure get gas when her car ran out on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. McClure and D'Amico then launched a GoFundMe page to supposedly raise money for Bobbitt, and the page brought in over $400,000 from 14,000 contributors. 
 
 At first, the account led to appearances for Bobbitt and McClure on national TV programs. But it turned into a dispute over the money. 
 
 Bobbitt accused the couple of dipping into the funds and using them as a "personal piggy bank" to bankroll a lifestyle they couldn't afford. 
 
 Bobbitt later sued the couple over mismanagement of the funds and a judge ordered sworn statements to determine what happened to the cash, which Bobbitt's attorney, Chris Fallon, said had disappeared. 
 
 Johnny Bobbitt Jr., a homeless man involved in an expanding criminal probe of a GoFundMe campaign, in Philadelphia in 2018. 
 
 Photo credit: David Swanson/The Philadelphia Inquirer 
 
 The couple denied any wrongdoing and accused Bobbitt of spending $25,000 in less than two weeks last year on drugs as well as paying for overdue legal bills and sending money to family. 
 
 The couple's lawyer, Ernest Badway, later said Bobbitt had gotten about $200,000. But Fallon said his client had received only about $75,000. 
 
 The couple also bought Bobbitt a camper with some of the cash and parked it on land McClure's family owns in New Jersey. But Bobbitt became homeless again after D'Amico told him in June that he had to leave the property. 
 
 In September, police raided the couple's home in Florence, New Jersey, hauling away a new BMW on a flatbed truck. Badway said that all the couple's personal and business financial statements, along with jewelry and cash, were seized in the raid. 
 
 At that point, officials said the couple was under investigation, though no charges had been filed. 
 
 D'Amico was arrested in September in Burlington County on an unrelated $500 warrant for an October 2017 traffic stop, according to officials. At the time, he was driving on a suspended license and also had a broken tail light. He also failed to appear in court on two separate occassions, according to court records.
– It’s not only the founders of a disputed GoFundMe campaign that raised $400,000 for a homeless man who find themselves in hot water. NBC Philadelphia reports Kate McClure, Mark D'Amico, and Johnny Bobbitt will face charges of conspiracy and theft by deception for allegedly concocting a false story to benefit themselves. Believing they were creating a better life for Bobbitt, said to have given McClure his last $20 to buy gas when she became stranded on a Philadelphia highway, 14,000 people donated more than $400,000 to the campaign last year. Temporarily set up in a trailer on property owned by McClure’s family, Bobbitt went on to sue, claiming McClure and D’Amico were using the fund as their "personal piggy bank." Police raided the couple's Florence, NJ, home in September, seizing cash, jewelry, financial statements, and a new BMW, though Bobbitt's lawyer said the donated funds were gone. Citing a source familiar with the case, NBC reports McClure and D'Amico turned themselves in Wednesday to Burlington County prosecutors, who believe the three deliberately prevented campaign donors from gaining information "that would affect their judgment about solicited contribution to that fundraising effort." It's not clear if Bobbitt is also in custody. Per WVPI, prosecutors are to announce new developments in the case at 2pm local time Thursday. (GoFundMe previously promised to give Bobbitt the full amount he was due.)