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DA: Bridgewater couple raised $18K for homeless man, then kept it
Brian Ferreira and Rachel Kadis created a GoFundMe to support a homeless man, and, according to prosecutors, did not give him the $18,000 raised.
A Bridgewater couple pleaded not guilty to allegedly pocketing $18,000 from a GoFundMe campaign to support a homeless man, prosecutors announced Friday.
Brian Ferreira, 33, and Rachel Kadis, 31, created a GoFundMe in March to support a homeless man, and allegedly did not give the man, who died in July, the approximately $18,000 raised, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said in a press release.
Ferreira and Kadis pleaded not guilty to counts of embezzlement, conspiracy, and larceny over $1200 by false pretenses, the DA said.
The couple was released on personal recognizance, with conditions they surrender their passports, refrain from fundraising, and refrain from visiting GoFundMe or any fundraising site, according to the DA.
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The man, named Greg Bobst, reported to the Bridgewater Police Department June 8 that Ferreira and Kadis refused to give him the money they said was to benefit him.
The GoFundMe, started March 11 by Kadis, ultimately raised $17,836. Bobst told police he did not receive any of it, according to the DA.
Bobst died July 1 without receiving any of the fundraised money, the DA said.
An investigation by Bridgewater police revealed Ferreira and Kadis created the GoFundMe “under a guise” it was for charitable purposes, but kept the money in a personal account Bobst did not have access to, the DA said.
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Bridgewater police filed a criminal complaint against the couple July 29, the DA said.
Kadis was featured in a Boston Globe story about Bobst and community efforts to help him.
The Globe reported that, during an all-night rainstorm, Kadis invited Bobst to her home and offered him the spare bedroom, and Bobst accepted the couch in the basement.
Kadis wrote a lengthy update on the GoFundMe page, saying she was forced to halt her efforts to redirect the fundraised money after Bobst’s death due to “online harassment and escalating safety concerns.”
“My only intention was to do something meaningful in Greg’s name, especially because he was so devastatingly let down while he was alive,” she wrote.
Kadis wrote the remaining funds were returned to GoFundMe to handle in accordance with their policies.
“Even after his passing, Greg didn’t receive so much as an obituary, and I had hoped to change that in some small way by ensuring he would be remembered with dignity and compassion,” she wrote. “It has also been a sobering reminder of why so few people feel safe stepping up to help others in today’s world.”
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Ferreira and Kadis are scheduled to return to court Oct. 9, the DA said. Attorneys listed for the couple did not immediately return requests for comment Monday evening.
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