The story had started with hope. Carmelo Anthony, a football star at Centennial High, was caught in a murder case that shook the community. His parents, desperate to save their son, launched a GoFundMe campaign that swept through social media like wildfire. The donations poured in—hundreds of thousands, then millions. The mansion became a symbol, shown off in Instagram posts as a fortress of family and resilience.
But behind the glossy photos, the cracks were growing. Court documents revealed the family hadn’t made a mortgage payment in six months. Interest penalties stacked up like poker chips at a losing table. The GoFundMe money, meant for legal fees, was vanishing into a black hole of luxury cars, private trips, and half-finished renovations. One whistleblower, a contractor who’d been stiffed on the job, told reporters, “They acted like they were untouchable. Then the checks stopped coming.”