SANTA MONICA—On Monday, January 12, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that Christopher L. Butler, the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, had been accused of embezzling from the organization. The Painted Turtle, a camp for children with severe disabilities that was founded in 1999 with funding from the late actor Paul Newman.
Butler, 50, was arrested at his residence in Porter Ranch on New Year’s Eve.
He stands accused of 15 felonies including five counts of forgery, nine counts of grand theft, and one count of the fraudulent use of a computer. In addition, he allegedly stole $5.2 million from the camp.
On January 15, Butler will appear in a Los Angeles courtroom at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
The Painted Turtle was part of a network of camps that were part of the late actor Paul Newman’s SeriousFun network. The purpose of the camps are to provide severely disabled children who possess life-threatening and chronic illnesses a chance to experience the joy of camping. The camp has not completed paperwork connected to its nonprofit work since 2023.
By Daniel Diquinzio