GoFundMe has suspended a fundraiser appearing to benefit the family of the Las Vegas teen who was beaten to death earlier this month, and his family claims the solicitation for money is fraudulent.
The fundraiser is titled “Jonathan Lewis Family,” and raised nearly $2k since going live last week. The main photo isn’t of 17-year-old Lewis, but instead of another man … a man who according to Jonathan’s dad, has no connection to Lewis.
According to the description, the alleged organizer, Cole Charles, is looking to raise funds for Lewis’ family … but it’s all pretty vague.
A spokesperson for GoFundMe tells TMZ … “Our Trust & Safety team has reached out to the organizer for more information. All funds raised on the fundraiser remain safely held by our payment processors while our Trust & Safety team conducts its review.”
11/1/23
To be clear, the person running the questionable fundraiser doesn’t have access to the cash that’s been raised, and it will maintained by GoFundMe until they complete their investigation.
Also … there’s an existing, verified fundraiser that’s on the site benefitting the Lewis fam and has raised well over $100,000. Protecting the GoFundMe community is one of the platform’s top priorities, and they have a dedicated team reviewing all fundraisers related to this incident.
11/14/23
As we reported, footage from the brutal incident showed Lewis at the center of a beatdown near a Las Vegas high school — cops said the attack stemmed from stolen headphones and possibly a vape pen … with everyone agreeing to meet in an alley after school to fight.
Eight minors have been arrested following his death, with 2 more teens believed to have been involved.
