The former CEO of The Painted Turtle, a nonprofit camp co-founded by late actor Paul Newman for children with serious medical conditions, has been charged with embezzling $5.2 million from the organization, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Butler, a resident of Porter Ranch, California, is being held on $835,000 bail. He was previously arraigned on Jan. 2, and his next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. If convicted, he faces more than 18 years in prison.
Online court records show Butler is being represented by a public defender. NTD reached out to the public defender’s office, as well as The Painted Turtle, for comment, but a response was not received by publication time.
Reacting to the charges, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman condemned the alleged actions of Butler, who is presumed innocent until proved guilty in a court of law, the D.A.’s office noted.
“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,” Hochman said. “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.”
Newman, who died in 2008 at the age of 83, was known for his roles in “The Hustler” (1961), “Butch Cassidy and the Hardest Kid” (1969), and “Road to Perdition” (2002).
The actor co-founded The Painted Turtle in 1999, opening the children’s camp five years later in Lake Hughes, roughly 60 miles north of Los Angeles.
The Painted Turtle is part of Newman’s SeriousFun Children’s Network, a global network of camps and other programs that are “designed to empower children to see beyond their medical conditions,” according to the nonprofit.
Each camp operates as an independent nonprofit and is funded by donations, allowing children to attend at no cost to their families.
