'Despicable': Woman accused of posing as grieving parent of dead Camp Mystic girl to bilk donors



Deadly flash floods swept the Lone Star State's Hill Country region on July 4, killing at least 135 people, including 27 people at Camp Mystic.

Among those who perished at the Christian camp outside Hunt, Texas, was Chloe Childress, an 18-year-old counselor remembered by her family for her "contagious joy, countless friends, unending faith, and unimaginable energy."

While Wendie and Matthew Childress were dealing with the sudden loss of their daughter, a Florida woman was allegedly impersonating the bereaved parents online in an attempt to make a quick buck.

'This is bottom feeding.'

Maitlin White, a 28-year-old with ties to Crestview, Florida, has been charged with two felony counts of online impersonation. White allegedly pretended to be Matthew Childress and created SpotFund and GoFundMe pages where she solicited public donations to support the fallen teen's family.

"Using a young woman’s tragic death to scam people is despicable," wrote Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen.

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Maitlin White. Courtesy of the Office of Harris County Constable Pct 1 Alan Rosen.

Dane Schiller, a spokesman with the constable's office, told MySA that Childress' family reported the accounts, which first appeared on the crowdfunding platforms on July 8.

"Right out the gate, they [the family] called it to our attention and said, 'We have nothing to do with this,'" said Schiller.

Rosen announced on July 11 that his office had launched an investigation into a case where a scammer was pretending to be Matthew Childress. While the fraudulent pages were promptly shut down, Rosen indicated the GoFundMe donation page had already brought in approximately $1,500.

After shutting down the pages, authorities reportedly tracked banking and online records back to White, who Schiller indicated admitted to the fraud scheme on a phone call with officials.

"This is bottom feeding, seeking to exploit people’s emotions and abuse the memory of a young woman who died in such a horrific tragedy all to make a quick and illegal buck," stated Rosen. "Such cruelty to the family, as well as our entire community will not be tolerated."

GoFundMe said in a statement obtained by KRIV-TV that it has "zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and bad actors who seek to take advantage of the generosity of others," adding that they "acted quickly to remove the fundraiser back in July, refund donors, and ban the account from future fundraising on GoFundMe."

The crowdfunding platform indicated that the alleged fraudster was unable to access the funds.

White, who is reportedly not yet in custody, is hardly the only person who allegedly exploited the tragic flood.

For instance, a number of liberals tried to put a political spin on the deaths of American children, in one case insinuating that the parents of the dead were racists.

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'Biden admin could care less about these people': Texas Gov. Abbott says he'll solicit donations to build wall along southern border



Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) revealed Tuesday that he plans to use crowdfunding from the public to assist in building a wall along his state's southern border.

The governor announced last week that his state will begin building its own wall as Texas deals with a surge of illegal immigrants pouring in from Mexico. He said the Biden administration is not doing its job, and blames its policies on the increase of migrants flowing into the U.S.

What are the details?

Speaking on the conservative "Ruthless" podcast, Abbott said that he will have more details to provide on his plan, but that contributions from individuals will be a funding source.

"When I do make the announcement later on this week, I will also be providing a link that you can click on and go to for everybody in the United States — really everybody in the entire world — who wants to help Texas build the border wall, there will be a place on there where they can contribute," Abbott said, according to dictation by KVIA-TV.

As the news hit social media, critics were quick to draw correlation between Abbott's initiative and the "We Build The Wall" campaign, a private crowdsourcing effort led by former President Donald Trump supporters seeking to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Four leaders of the "We Build the Wall" campaign, including former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, were arrested last year over allegations that they had defrauded donors. Bannon was pardoned by Trump just before he left office in January.

But Abbott reassured prospective donors, telling "Ruthless" that contributions will "go to a fund in the state of Texas – not a private entity, not an individual."

He added, "They will be received by the state of Texas in the governor's office, great transparency, everyone will know every penny in, every penny out. But the sole purpose of those funds will be going to build the border wall."

Fox News noted that "Abbott has yet to provide details on what he expects the border wall to cost," and KVIA reported that "federal lawmakers have estimated that the border wall cost the Trump administration nearly $27 million per mile in some parts of Texas."

Anything else?

President Joe Biden paused federal funding of the wall when he took office in January. His administration has faced fierce backlash from leaders in border states, both Republicans and Democrats, for not doing enough to address the border crisis.

Abbott told "Ruthless" of the border situation, "It's a Third-World country where these farmers and ranchers are living, with their lives on the line every single day."

"And you know what?" he continued. "The Biden administration could care less about these people who are going through this tragedy. Somebody has to step up for these people."

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