this is "nightline." >> tonight, a viral gofundme campaign that sounded too good to be true. >> i was glad to offer to help when somebody needed it. >> a homeless vet giving his last $20 to a stranded driver. the feel-good tale tugging at the heart strings of so many, inspiring nearly a half million dollars of goodwill. now, why authorities say it was all an elaborate scam. plus, the untold story of the boys in the cave. >> we always knew we could get them out, it was whether we could get them out alive or not. >> inside the seemingly impossible rescue the world held its breath for. the failed plans, closecalls, and the controversial decision to sedate the kids for their journey out.

and the mini-super hero who saved san francisco now defeating his biggest villain. but first, the "nightline" five. number one in just 60 seconds.

it's "gaming with america's best internet provider" internet. just any internet. it's "all your teenagers streaming at once" internet. it's "i can get up to one-two-three-four-five mobile lines included" internet. it's internet from xfinity that makes your life... simple. easy. awesome. get a special offer on xfinity internet and tv for $35 each a month for 12 months when you bundle both, and ask how you can save on your wireless bill when you include xfinity mobile click, call or visit a store today. good evening. thanks for joining us. tonight, they once made headlines for a heartwarming moment of generosity, but their

viral gofundme campaign has now led to criminal charges. abc's wit johnson on why authorities say the homeless hero and the lady who ran out of gas are in big trouble. >> i was glad to offer, you know, to help them. somebody needed it. >> reporter: it was the good samaritan story that captivated the nation, seeming almost too good to be true. and authorities now say, it was. >> i was driving down 95 and ran out of gas, so i pulled over on to the side of the road. >> reporter: kate mcclure stranded on the outskirts of philadelphia when homeless veteran johnny bobt jr. came to her rescue. >> he walked up and said, get back in the car, lock the doors, you know, i'll be back. >> reporter: spending his last $20 to buy her gas. >> you know, she needed the help and she took the help. >> reporter: with the title, paying it forward, the gofundme page and the story of bobbitt's selflessness went viral. the couple's original goal of

$10,000 quickly ballooned to more than $400,000. >> it's like winning the lottery. >> reporter: but today, a shocking twist. >> the entire campaign was predicated on a lie. >> reporter: authorities say it was all a coordinated scam from the start. the cover photo on the page, staged. all three of them were in on the elaborate hoax. >> she did not run out of gas on an i 95 off ramp and did not spend his last $20 to help her. rather, they conspired to pass off a fake feel-good story that would compel donors to contribute to their cause and it worked. >> reporter: all three charged with conspiracy and theft by deception. their attorneys had no comment today. >> this case, you're talking about over $400,000 and so this takes it to a different level. and the amount of money at stake is why the crime got elevated to the level that it's at. >> reporter: prosecutors now claiming the idea could have come from bobbitt himself.

>> in 2012, johnny bobbitt posted a remarkably similar story on his facebook page out of north carolina where he reported that he helped a woman who had both ran out of gas and had a flat tire at a walmart, spent his supper money to get her on her way and fix her flat tire. i don't think that's a coincidence. >> prosecutors are taking this really seriously. because this has gone from a heartwarming story to a sad, troubling story, and so effectively, they're having the book thrown at them. >> reporter: at one point, mcclure and bobbitt sitting side-by-side detailing the heartwarming story of how they came to meet. mcclure telling abc that she and her boyfriend were moved by the homeless vet's generosity so the couple went back to visit bobbitt where he was living under a bridge. >> when you got someone that's, you know, coming back to help you, you know, it makes you feel good, you know? that someone's actually showing a interest in you. >> reporter: the story now in

question would then lead to mcclure and her boyfriend returning the so-called good deed to bobbitt. >> we were thinking what if we started a gofundme for this guy, just to get him, you know, off of the streets even for a weekend. >> reporter: authorities today saying the truth behind the alleged conspiracy trickled out less than an hour after the page went live. >> mcclure, in a text exchange with a friend, stated that the story about bobbitt assisting her was fake. specifically, she wrote, "okay, so, wait. the gas part is completely made up. but the guy isn't. i had to make something up to make people feel bad, so shush about the made-up stuff." >> reporter: and as we now know, the inspiring tale pulled the heart strings of thousands across the country. >> by the middle of march, d'amico and mcclure squandered the vast majority of money. >> reporter: as the money poured in, mcclure and d'amico stipulated the funds would go to

buy bobbitt a new home which johnny will own and the dream truck he's always wanted. >> we have meetings set up with us and a financial adviser and a lawyer, obviously, because it's gotten to this point. we're just going to really go off of them and what they say. >> reporter: but this august, the bubble began to burst when bobbitt accused the couple of stealing his money. >> i have to ask them for everything. it was kind of -- in the beginning, it was a joke. like they were like my parents. but the joke stops being funny after a while. >> reporter: alleging they bought him a camper that they parked on their property and of the $400,000 plus, he says he only got $75,000, claiming the couple spent the rest on themselves, money that allegedly went into funding a lavish lifestyle, one that they flaunted on social media, going to vegas, visiting the grand canyon on a private helicopter tour. mcclure seen here with a louis vuitton bag, gambling. then in late summer, the legal

woes between the trio started to raise questions. >> the question remains, what happened to all that money and where did it go? >> reporter: according to court records, on august 27th, d'amico allegedly texted bobbitt saying, in part, i say i get rid of my team of lawyers, you get rid of yours, and kate and i will write you a check. seriously. prosecutors claiming the fantasy-filled hoax quickly turned into a nightmare. bobbitt filing a civil suit against mcclure and d'amico eventually igniting a criminal investigation. >> we're here today asking the defendants where the money went. >> reporter: with much of the money missing, the couple's attorney said in new jersey court that they promised to provide an accounting of the fund. >> i would urge anybody to withhold judgment until that's been made public. >> reporter: but when the judge ordered the couple to return any remaining money into escrow, their attorney said there is nothing left. the next day, police executed a search warrant on the couple's

home, towing away this bmw and taking out bags of evidence as d'amico stood in his yard, swinging a golf club. today, prosecutors say it was that legal battle that motivated them to look into the alleged scheme. >> if they hadn't started fighting over the money, would they have gotten away with it? >> there's a good chance they might have. >> reporter: in a statement to abc news, gofundme writing in part that while this type of behavior by an individual is extremely rare, it's unacceptable and clearly it has consequences. committing fraud, whether it takes place on or offline is against the law. the company also stating that campaigns with misuse make up less than 0.1% of all campaigns. the company today saying all donors will receive a full refund. >> what i needed was money and what i received was love. >> thank you! >> thank you. >> reporter: but crowd sourcing websites have raised billions of dollars for good and with the holidays approaching, there are steps you can take to help make

sure that your money is going to the right place. the better business bureau recommending you learn all you can about the charity or individual. do a reverse image search on any photos used in the campaign. and caution that scammers often put up multiple campaigns across several platforms. >> there's definitely an element of buyer beware. you are not dealing with organizations that have tax exemptions, for example, that have been vetted. you're dealing with people. >> reporter: tonight, all three accused liars who are said to have preyed on america's generosity now awaiting their trial. for "nightline," i'm wit johnson in mt. holly, new jersey. next, the untold story behind the heart-stopping rescue that gripped the world. ld. i wanted more from my copd medicine... ...that's why i've got the power of 1-2-3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy. the power of 1-2-3

♪ trelegy 1-2-3 trelegy with trelegy and the power of 1-2-3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works 3 ways to... ...open airways,... ...keep them open... ...and reduce inflammation... ...for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling,.. ...problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. think your copd medicine is doing enough? maybe you should think again. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy and the power of 1-2-3. ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 save at trelegy.com.

whether you were borne for more dance-offs... more travels... or more touchdowns. get the immune support that gives you more. airborne gummies have 50% more vitamin-c than emergen-c... plus our crafted blend of vitamins, minerals and herbs. airborne. forget about vacuuming for weeks. the (new) roomba i7+ with clean base automatic dirt disposal empties the roomba bin for you. so dirt is off your hands. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba.

(music throughout) am i saying it well, l'chaim? l'chaim. maybe you're making merry. l'chaim! or maybe you're making cocoa. don't spill it. maybe you're with the family you got. (all) ooh! or maybe the one you've chosen. it's culture salad. maybe there's lights... there's definitely lights. maybe there's one less this year. or maybe one more. (singing) our holidays don't all look the same. and maybe that's what makes us great.

make the dream yours. ikea. ♪ ♪ connecting people...

...uniting the world. ♪♪ you know, for 18 days, the world watched captivated, waiting for the seemingly impossible to happen. 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped deep inside a cave in thailand. tonight, inside the untold story of the mistakes, the failed plans, and the controversial decisions behind their rescue. here's my "nightline" co-anchor, dan harris. >> once i started doing the reporting, it quickly materialized that these kids were completely sedated. they were out, dan. i mean, these boys were so sedated, you could easily have operated on them and they would have felt nothing. i mean, they were essentially vegetables being hauled through that tunnel and the decision was

if we don't do this, they will panic and almost certainly die. not only them, but they would take the divers down with them. when people panic when they dive, they grab at the divers, their rescuers, rip face masks, tear their regulators out of their mouth. they'll do anything to try to survive even though what they're actually doing is killing themselves and the diver. >> reporter: it's the heart-stopping untold story of the rescue that captivated the world. >> in the urgent ask you operation in thailand, 12 young soccer players and their coach. >> found alive in a flooded cave in thailand. >> more than two weeks in a cave without any real food, very little water. >> authorities say that high risk operation is now under way. >> tonight, all 12 young soccer players and their coach are free. that is the great news. >> reporter: outside that cave in thailand, a picture of patience and perseverance. inside, 12 boys and their soccer coach. >> how many of you? 13? brilliant.

>> reporter: trapped miles deep by flood waters, struggling to survive as they waited to be rescued. the boys used to practice on this soccer field. my colleague, abc's matt gutman right there for it all, now revealing startling new details about the massive international ask you effort in his new book "the boys in the cave" the mistakes that nearly doomed the mission and a controversial decision that rendered the boys unconscious. >> the decision to sedate, was that controversial? >> it's so controversial, and one of the only places that you'll see it is in the book, that the thai government has basically clamped down on it, censored information and there was a very awkward moment in thailand where i met the parents and i started talking about the sedation, and they said, what? what do you mean, sedation? i was the first person to tell them nearly six weeks after the rescue that their children had been sedated. they had no idea. >> reporter: shedding new light on the urgency facing thai officials and a stunning

admission. >> soon after the reporting started, i understood that the divers themselves expected most of the boys to die on the way out, and they told the thai government this. they basically said to the thai government, they will asphyxiate in this tiny chamber that they're in, they might die of disease, two of them have pneumonia. this is going to get really ugly really fast. we have to do something now. >> i never had to think for a second about whether i would go. i think it's human nature to know if you've got an ability and of course you will. >> we always knew we could get them out. it was whether we could get them out alive or not. >> reporter: in the book, matt uncovers many of the harsh realities. behind difficult decisions the divers were forced to make. >> they really thought going in there that 75% to 80% of the boys would die that day. they were using completely unorthodox methods that had never been tried or tested. >> reporter: revealing two of the boys nearly didn't make it. >> one of the boys nearly went

hy hypothermic because his diver got lost and after a while he just stopped in one of these chambers, found some dry ground, put his boy on the side, tried to find something to wrap him in and waited for somebody to come find him, which luckily they did. another boy stopped breathing when he was sedated. they were given ketamine but we're talking about one boy, one diver in a short tunnel and they couldn't be sure if the boys had died or if something was wrong with them, they didn't know, and they weren't doctors. >> reporter: under a mountain that according tohadl sleeping calibratedum boys were mle and relay, a guideline set up spanning back to the kids and their coach, moving as a cohesive unit, the divers implemented a buddy system to escort each of the boys out.

a lead diver tethered to each boy carrying their oxygen tank while the rear diver helped them navigate the twisting maze of those tight underwater passages. >> it is a tremendous moment here in thailand. hard to understate. >> reporter: was that the end of the operation? >> they still had four thai navy s.e.a.l.s in the back of the cave. they had stayed with them for the last few days just to keep up their spirits and to let the boys know, they're not giving up without them. those guys were willing to die with the boys if it came to that. those four thai navy s.e.a.l.s brought up the rear. they were given extra air tanks to come out and the first one pops out, hooray. second one, hooray. after the second thai navy s.e.a.l. came out, the pumps broke so the water started rising. feet within a few minutes. the u.s. special ops guy describes going through that part of the cave, puckering his lips, leaning his head all the way back and just sucking the

little sips of air left on the ceiling and it's incredibly dramatic. it's a time capsule. all the pumps are there, the water bottles, the chairs, all their air tanks by the hundreds were left in there as they abandoned ship. >> reporter: what have you learned about the dynamics among the boys and their coach inside that cave? >> the coach acted as a coach, father figure, priest, meditation leader. he got them into that mess. he also helped keep them alive in the cave. he instituted a regiment where they would dig for part of the day, then rest, then meditate, then talk, then sleep, and he kept their spirits up the whole time. and basically, every boy broke down. they all cried. in fact, the boys started hallucinating in the cave. you're so deprived of all the ambient sound that all you hear is the drip and those drips can turn into any sound your brain

wants and this is a really common phenomenon. when they were found, they started talking about all the children they heard and the dogs barking, there must be an exit near us but there wasn't. it was just their minds playing tricks on them. >> reporter: the coach turning into a national hero. as for the boys, besides becoming international celebrities, matt says they are still embracing adventure. >> when i was there in thailand, i saw the kids riding bikes around at night and i asked the parents, what's going on? they said, in order to hold on to our kids, we have to let them go. we have to let them be the adventurers they were before. and that's the only way that they're really going to recover is by being them. next, bat kid knight returns with news to brighten the day.

"nightline" sponsored by macy's. ed by macy's. how's your cough? i'm good. i took 12-hour mucinex and sent it far away. hey buddy, have you seen a nice woman with a cough? woahhh! mucinex dm releases fast and lasts 12-hours, not 4. send coughs far away all day. parmenew sesame-ginger shrimpory ais here, too..

but hurry in, endless shrimp ends november eighteenth. breathe right strips are designed to simply when nighttime nasal congestion closes in, open your nose right back up. ♪ breathe better. sleep better. breathe right. dad: oh, hey guys! mom (on speakerphone): hi! son (on speakerphone): dad, i scored two goals today! dad: oh, that's great! vo: getting to a comfortable retirement doesn't have to be an uncomfortable thought. see how lincoln can help you retire on your terms at lincolnfinancial.com mucinex cold & flu all-in-one. fights... ...sore throat, fever, cough, sinus pressure, chest congestion, headache, nasal congestion, body pain... all in one. did you really need the caps lock? get tough on cold and flu symptoms.

mucinex cold and flu all-in-one. well, it's a whole day's worth of love songs. or 300 minutes of baby videos. a gig goes a long way. that's why xfinity mobile lets you pay for data one gig at a time. and with millions of wifi hotspots included,

you'll pay even less for data. or if you need a lot we have unlimited too. plus, get $200 back when you buy a new smart phone. it's simple, easy, awesome. click, call or visit a store today.

welcome to emirates mr. jones. just sit back, relax and let us entertain you... ...with over 3,500 channels of entertainment, including the latest movies and box sets from around the world. ( ♪ ) we even have live sports and news channels. ( ♪ ) and your free wi-fi will start shortly. enjoy your flight mr. jones. world's best inflight entertainment. fly emirates. fly better.

biggest villain, cancer. here's abc's david muir. >> reporter: a mom and dad and their little boy dressed up as batman. they were nervous it would overwhelm him. >> we were worried because he is a shy boy but he put on that suit and he's just like, let's go. >> reporter: he was ready. then a thumbs up from the batmobile, shy no more. those aerials from above, batkid saving the day in san francisco, smiling faces lighting office windows for blocks and standing beside the mayor. >> thank you, batkid. >> reporter: batkid suddenly realizing his power. just watch. we loved meeting miles at the time, giving him the high five, and tonight, five years to the day after that city came together, miles' family sending us new photos. now in remission, they say no sign of the cancer. he's 10, in fifth grade, and a new study out just this week showing children who have been a part of make-a-wish are two and

a half times more likely to have fewer unplanned trips to the hospital afterward. they believe it's proof that love and kindness from a community can also help a child heal. and miles' mom tonight telling us, we are so thankful for our positive experience with make-a more wish. it's an organization that shines a light on children and families when nothing else can and that's something we all can salute tonight. >> well done, miles. our thanks to david muir tonight and that's nig"nightline." don't forget you can also watch us on

it's "gaming with america's best internet provider" internet. just any internet. it's "all your teenagers streaming at once" internet. it's "i can get up to one-two-three-four-five mobile lines included" internet. it's internet from xfinity that makes your life... simple. easy. awesome. get a special offer on xfinity internet and tv for $35 each a month for 12 months when you bundle both, and ask how you can save on your wireless bill when you include xfinity mobile click, call or visit a store today.