The former CEO of The Painted Turtle, a nonprofit camp co-founded by the now late actor Paul Newman, has been arrested and charged with embezzling $5.2 million from the organization.
Christopher L. Butler, the camp’s CEO between 2018 and 2025, faces 15 felony counts, including nine counts of grand theft, five counts of forgery and one count of fraudulent use of a computer, according to a statement from Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. Butler could spend more than 18 years in state prison if convicted on all counts, according to the statement. As of January 13, 2026, Butler was being held on $835,000 bail. The charges were filed on December 29, 2025, and he is set to be arraigned on January 15 in the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Several of the fraud and forgery charges stem from suspected “irregularities in [The Painted Turtle’s] financial records caused by the defendant” which were discovered in August 2025 by the Lake Hughes, California organization’s controller, Cayla Yasukochi, according to the complaint. Yasukochi was hired by The Painted Turtle in July 2025.
“Prior to Ms. Yasukochi’s hiring, the defendant was always acting as controller for victim TPT [The Painted Turtle] during the times relevant to the crimes charged and thus used this position to conceal his fraud from the victim TPT,” it is alleged in the complaint. “Until Ms. Yasukochi assumed this role as controller for TPT in July 2025, and began auditing the books, the victim, and no law enforcement agency chargeable with the investigation and prosecution of these charged offenses had actual and construction knowledge of said violations prior to said date because the defendant concealed his fraudulent and deceptive conduct,” the complaint continues.
In addition to the forgery and theft charges, it also is alleged in the complaint that Butler did “knowingly access and without permission alter, damage, delete, destroy, and use data, a computer, a computer system, and a computer network, belonging to The Painted Turtle, to wrongfully control and obtain money, property, and data belonging” to The Painted Turtle.
“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 in his statement. “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.”
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Steve Dickman of the White Collar Crime Division and remains under investigation by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.
Requests for a statement from The Painted Turtle were not acknowledged at deadline. A call to a phone number listed on the organization’s most recent federl Form 990 was terminated without an option for leaving a message. However, the Los Angeles Times and the Santa Clarita Valley Signal printed a statement allegedly from the organization reading “Our board of directors has taken action. Investigations by independent auditors and law enforcement have been undertaken and we’re being advised by legal counsel. We’re unable to provide further detail at this time. This was a shocking and saddening discovery for us. Our primary commitment is always to the children and families that we serve. And this activity will not affect that commitment.”
At deadline, The NonProfit Times was unable to discern whether Butler had secured counsel.
Newman and co-founders/philanthropist Page Adler and her husband, music and film producer Lou Adler, along with other individuals, conceived of The Painted Turtle in 1999 as a place where kids with serious medical conditions could experience a traditional camp experience. The camp opened in 2004, and is part of Newman’s SeriousFun Children’s Network, which includes Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camp, which opened in 1988.
The camp’s expenses were covered through philanthropy and other fundraising, with no charges passed along to the campers’ families.
According to the most recently available Form 990, for the year ending December 31, 2023 The Painted Turtle generated just more than $4.6 million in revenue, nearly all of which came from contributions or grants. During the year, the organization reported slightly more than $7.9 million in expenses. Its net assets stood at slightly more than $29.2 million. For the year, Butler received $202,071 in compensation.
