As former friends and associates remember it, John Knox Bridges entered their lives with a remarkable story.
A lover of art and aviation, the Charlotte native told of coming from a family worth billions. He said he owned a corporate jet, hobnobbed with world leaders, and served on the boards of prestigious groups including New York's Guggenheim Museum and the World Health Organization.
He befriended Ben Long, a renowned N.C. fresco artist, and later volunteered to manage his business affairs.
Then the trouble began.
Through a series of false claims, Bridges made off with more than $800,000 of Long's money, the artist and his son alleged in a 2008 lawsuit.
In July, the board of the Minnesota-based Lindbergh Foundation removed him as president after concluding he had misused $600,000, documents and interviews show. Bridges has since repaid the money.
But the first time Bridges tried to return that money, he got it from another nonprofit he helped direct - the foundation that supports the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer. The Rowan County museum has gotten its money back, and Bridges has resigned from the foundation's board.
Bridges, 48 and living in Salisbury, has not responded to multiple calls, letters and visits requesting an interview. The law firm representing Bridges has instructed him not to comment, according to Craig Miller, a lawyer in the firm.
"But we believe some of your facts are just dead wrong and you really ought to look into the credibility of some of your sources," Miller said. He declined to elaborate.
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