An arrest has been made in a fraud investigation involving the Whittaker family, a rural Raleigh County family that gained national attention through social media.
John “Patrick” Roark, 47, was arrested Friday following an investigation launched in September into the alleged financial exploitation of members of the Whittaker family, according to the West Virginia State Police.
Investigators allege that Roark exploited the family’s disabilities to produce social media content for personal financial gain. Authorities say he solicited and received donations intended to benefit the Whittaker family but instead kept the money for himself.
The investigation began in September 2025 and initially named Roark along with Lawrence “Eric” Carroll of Georgia. As of Friday afternoon, Carroll has not been charged.
Roark is facing multiple felony charges, including five counts of financial exploitation of an incapacitated person, five counts of fraudulent schemes, and one count of fraudulent use of an access device.
He is currently being held on a $150,000 bond.
The Whittaker family, who live in Odd, West Virginia, became widely known after appearing in filmmaker Mark Laita’s Soft White Underbelly interview series. The exposure prompted donations from viewers seeking to improve the family’s health and living conditions. Laita has not been named in the investigation.