Former CEO charged with embezzling US$5.2M from a camp for sick kids co-founded by Paul Newman

FILE - In this Thursday, June 9, 1988 file photo, Actor Paul Newman gestures as he arrives at "The Hole in the Wall" camp in Ashford, Conn. Newman is the camp founder and US$7 million of profits from his "Newman's Own" Food Products, Inc. was contributed to help finance the camp. (AP Photo/Bob Child, File)

The former CEO of a camp for kids with serious medical conditions has been been charged with 15 felonies after prosecutors said he embezzled more than US$5 million over seven years from the non-profit co-founded by Paul Newman.

Christopher L. Butler, 49, of Porter Ranch, California, is expected to be arraigned Thursday in Los Angeles. He is charged with embezzling funds from The Painted Turtle, one of many camps for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses co-founded by the late actor Newman.

Like the other camps funded through Newman’s “SeriousFun Children’s Network,” the Lake Hughes, California-based Painted Turtle relies on donations and provides free programs, allowing campers to enjoy fun with other kids who have similar medical conditions.

“Abusing a position of power to steal funds from a camp dedicated to helping children with serious medical conditions is an affront to both the law and our deepest values,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman wrote in a news release. “My message is crystal clear: If you steal from the most vulnerable members of our community or the organizations that serve them, this office will use every tool the law allows to hold you fully accountable.”

A phone number for Butler could not be located, and a public defender who represented Butler briefly during his first court appearance declined to comment because she is no longer handling his case. Officials with The Painted Turtle did not immediately respond to a voice message requesting comment.

According to the criminal complaint, Butler worked for The Painted Turtle from 2018 until the summer of 2025, and prosecutors say he embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars each year — the total allegedly reaching about $5.2 million. He also served as the organization’s controller for a time, according to the complaint, and prosecutors say he tried to hide evidence of the alleged crimes by modifying or deleting computer records.

A new controller discovered “irregularities” in the organization’s financial records in August 2025, according to the complaint.

The charges carry a potential sentence of more than 18 years in prison.

Rebecca Boone, The Associated Press