A former govt of a nonprofit camp for kids with critical medical situations is accused of embezzling greater than $5 million from the group and tampering with laptop data to cover his crimes, in response to prosecutors.
Lake Hughes-based group the Painted Turtle, co-founded by actor Paul Newman in 1999, is a year-round camp that provides free programming for kids fighting medical challenges and depends on donations from people, firms and foundations.
Providing outside actions and in-hospital video games, the Painted Turtle describes itself as place the place youth with life-threatening and continual diseases can “sing, dance, snort, develop and uncover their potential.”
In a press release launched Monday, the Los Angeles County District Legal professional’s workplace mentioned former Painted Turtle chief govt Christopher L. Butler faces 15 felony counts, together with grand theft and fraud. If convicted on all expenses, Butler may serve greater than 18 years in jail.
The $5.2-million fraud, prosecutors say, passed off over the course of his seven-year tenure. A spokesperson for the Painted Turtle mentioned Butler left the group round July, and the district lawyer filed the case in late December.
Previous to leaving the group, Butler had acted because the group’s controller, or supervisor of accounting, which might permit him to hide his alleged embezzlement through the years, in response to the official criticism.
Prosecutors say {that a} controller employed after Butler’s departure was the primary to inform authorities of the alleged fraud.
Within the criticism, prosecutors say that Butler embezzled the nonprofit of lots of of hundreds annually since he was employed, steadily rising his illicit take to the best level in 2022, when he allegedly stole practically $1 million.
Butler wrote hundreds in fraudulent checks along with the prevailing embezzlement, the criticism says.
Within the final yr of his suspected scheme, authorities accuse Butler of adjusting knowledge on firm computer systems to entry cash and destroy proof regarding his fraud.
The fraud fell aside in August, when authorities say the brand new controller found “irregularities” within the monetary data courting again to 2018, Butler’s first yr with the group.
That month, prosecutors say, Butler allegedly took drastic motion that led to a grand theft cost: stealing the group’s computer systems. The criticism additionally particulars that an extra $50,000 price of the nonprofit’s property was stolen or broken throughout this time.
Butler is being held on a $835,000 bail together with his arraignment set for Thursday.
The Painted Turtle mentioned in a press release that “critical monetary crimes had been dedicated by a former worker.” The group says that it performed investigations by unbiased auditors and cooperated with legislation enforcement.
“This was a surprising and saddening discovery for us. Our major dedication is all the time to the kids and households that we serve,” the group acknowledged.
The Painted Turtle spokesperson Glenn Bozarth says that the nonprofit plans to proceed its programming after the investigation, though the fraud has left behind questions on whether or not misplaced funds and damages could possibly be recovered.
“All of us have the identical query,” Bozarth mentioned. “How can somebody do that?”
