A Canadian woman facing deportation after admitting she slapped a teenage girl who was wearing MAGA-themed clothing has fallen well short of the amount sought for her immigration legal defense.
Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, was filmed striking the teen on a Jersey Shore boardwalk during Fourth of July festivities. She later surrendered to authorities after investigators reviewed surveillance video and obtained a warrant for her arrest.
Officials said Tracey had overstayed her visa at the time of the incident and was living in the United States unlawfully. After her arrest, she was placed in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and detained at ICE’s Delaney Hall facility.
She was more recently moved to ICE’s processing center in Laredo, Texas. Appearing by phone for a hearing on Tuesday, Tracey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault, and a judge ordered that she be deported.
Ahead of the court proceedings, an online fundraiser for Tracey’s legal defense was launched in mid-July with a $10,000 target. By Wednesday evening, however, the campaign had brought in just $4,857.
Earlier in July, Tracey’s husband, Matthew Geroni, 42, created a GoFundMe campaign for the same purpose, but the platform removed it shortly afterward.
Geroni told the Daily Mail at the time that he believed the page was taken down after it was reported by “MAGA people.”
The newer campaign, hosted on GiveSendGo, made a similar claim, stating: “Our original GoFundMe campaign was removed and all donations were refunded after a coordinated mass-reporting campaign by a Facebook group targeted the fundraiser.”
Canadian Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, has been ordered to be deported after she slapped a teenage girl in New Jersey during Fourth of July Celebrations. She is pictured with her husband
Tracy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault during a hearing in Texas on Tuesday. She was transferred to ICE custody after turning herself in to police for the assault
Tracey’s legal defense fundraiser, organized in mid-July, failed to reach even half its $10,000 goal, raising just $4,857 as of Wednesday evening
However, GoFundMe policies clearly dictate that fundraisers on the platform are not allowed if they are raising money for someone accused of crimes.
Tracey, who was dubbed the ‘Maple Leaf Menace’ in an X post by the Department of Homeland Security, confronted a group of teenagers on July 3 who were wearing ‘patriotic colored’ clothes, which were reportedly emblazoned with ‘Trump’ and ‘ICE’, before she slapped one of the teens.
In the footage of the assault, Tracey could be seen striking the teenager once on the shoulder before squaring up and delivering another blow across the girl’s face.
She was initially charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment and obstruction. Her more serious charges were dropped by prosecutors in exchange for her guilty plea on Tuesday.
In addition to the deportation, she was also sentenced to one day in jail, but she was granted time served for the days she spent behind bars in Ocean County after turning herself in.
Although Tracey was in the US illegally at the time of the assault, her lawyer, Francis Hodgson, attempted to paint her in a positive light during Tuesday’s hearing.
‘She met her husband and didn’t leave, but while she was [here], she maintained employment and was a productive member of society,’ Hodgson told the judge.
The lawyer simply described the attack as ‘unfortunate,’ and said his client has ‘taken responsibility for her role in it, and this is a reasonable judgment, Judge, that is consistent with other similar-type matters that happen every day during the summer on this boardwalk.’
Tracy’s assault on the teenager was captured on camera. She initially received more serious charges that were dropped as part of her plea deal
The footage showed Tracey striking the teenager once on the shoulder during the confrontation before squaring up and delivering another blow across the girl’s face
The girl, whose age was redacted from court documents, stood in stunned silence after being struck. Tracey’s husband said the teenagers were wearing ‘ICE merch’
Prosecutors said that the family of the victim, who was identified only by the initials MH due to her age, was okay with the plea deal.
Judge Guy P Ryan read an impact statement from the family and said: ‘The parents recite that, “Thank goodness for cameras and cell phones to have documented this incident.”‘
The victim and her family ‘look forward to justice being served, and they thank all the agencies involved,’ the judge added.
It is unclear exactly when Tracey will be deported back to Canada and how long she will be prohibited from returning to the US, though the judge said he expects it to be ‘a very long time.’
Tracey’s husband, Geroni, provided a different account of the attack on the teen when he spoke to the Daily Mail last month.
He claimed the group of teenagers ‘provoked’ Tracey and were causing mayhem on the Jersey Shore boardwalk, alleging that they ‘pushed and shoved’ her during the confrontation.
Geroni said the teenagers had been ‘provoking’ many people along the boardwalk, but singled out his wife because she was wearing ‘punk’ clothing that clashed with their MAGA attire. ‘They were wearing ICE merch,’ he said.
The husband said police at the scene let Tracey leave and described it as a ‘nothing-burger,’ but said investigators then reviewed a short surveillance clip of the confrontation that led to a warrant being issued for her arrest, which Geroni said was ‘out of context.’
Geroni said the teenagers were ‘provoking’ people while wearing ‘ICE merchandise’, which he said clashed with his wife’s ‘punk’ clothes
Tracey’s husband, Matthew Geroni, previously shared a video on TikTok wishing cancer on President Trump’s entire family – including his youngest grandchildren
Geroni often shares social media posts attacking Republicans, including a post wishing for Mitch McConnell to die following the senator’s hospitalization
Geroni said that Tracey was almost freed from the Ocean County jail before being hit with an immigration detainer at the last minute.
Tracey’s husband, who often shares social media posts attacking Republicans, including wishing for Mitch McConnell to die and for the Trump family to get cancer, said he believes Donald Trump is partially to blame for the hostility.
‘Trump is emboldening these people. They’re proud of their hate, not love,’ he said.
When asked how he squares this stance with his social media posts about McConnell, Geroni said it was ‘not the same’, and answered: ‘What are we even talking about here bro?’
Geroni said he and his wife love their lives in Ocean Beach, but he would move to Canada if needed. ‘I would do anything to be with my wife,’ he said.
