GoFundMe Shuts Down ‘Free Cain Velasquez’ Fundraisers

GoFundMe will not accept donations to help Cain Velasquez get out of jail.

Last week Velasquez was charged with attempted murder after he chased down and shot at a man accused of molesting a young relative of Velasquez. Velazquez missed the man and wounded the man’s stepfather.

Via ESPN

Velasquez, 39, was arrested Feb. 28 after allegedly chasing down the man — Harry Eugene Goularte, who is being charged with molesting a young relative of Velasquez — and shooting a gun into Goularte’s vehicle, per the Santa Clara County district attorney. Another man in the vehicle, Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, was hit by one of the gunshots in his arm and torso. Bender suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Velasquez followed Goularte’s truck in his own vehicle on an “11-mile, high-speed chase” through the city of San Jose, rammed the truck, and fired a 40-caliber handgun multiple times into the truck, which carried Goularte, Bender, and Goularte’s mother, Patricia, according to the DA’s office.

Goularte, who was not injured in the shooting, is being accused in Santa Clara County of a lewd or lascivious act upon a child under the age of 14.

Goularte, 43, was released from custody on Feb. 25 without bail, against the DA’s orders, per the DA. He was ordered to stay in home detention, remain 100 yards away from any child under 14 and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.

The child, who is under 10 years old, told a Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy Feb. 24 that Goularte took him into the bathroom of a day care center and touched the child’s genitals, per a court document obtained by ESPN. The child said Goularte said not to tell anyone what happened and that this had occurred “100 times.” In the court document, the child said he witnessed other kids go into the bathroom with Goularte, too.

Goularte has denied any wrongdoing, saying he once helped a child with his pants when he saw the child didn’t have them on correctly. Goularte lives in the same building as the day care center, which is owned by his mother, according to the court document. Goularte’s mother told police she did not believe the allegations against her son.

Over the weekend, Velasquez’s former MMA coach Javier Mendez shared two GoFundMe fundraisers raising money for Velasquez. As soon as the fundraisers went viral, fans noticed that they had both been removed from GoFundMe.

https://twitter.com/jayyygee00/status/1500176307187027974

MMA Junkie spoke with GoFundMe, and they confirmed they took down the ‘Free Cain Velasquez” fundraisers were removed because they prohibit raising money for the legal defense of violent crimes.

Via MMA Junkie

“We can confirm that both fundraisers were removed, and all donors have been refunded,” a GoFundMe spokesperson told MMA Junkie. “GoFundMe prohibits raising money for the legal defense of a violent crime.”

Velasquez, who is facing over 20 years in prison over the shooting, was denied bail on Monday morning.