Longtime Aspen restaurant owner Klaus Christ, who suffered a stroke in 2001 and is partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair, was betrayed by one of his closest friends, former Aspen police officer James T. Loyd, Denver prosecutors have alleged.
Loyd, 56, turned himself in Friday in Denver after being charged with three counts of theft and two counts of the unauthorized use of a financial device, said prosecutor Joe Morales.
Christ came to the United States from Switzerland and operated the Golden Horn restaurant in Aspen for about 25 years. During that time, the Golden Horn was a favorite of locals and visiting film, music and media celebrities, as well as heads of state and royalty.
Christ announced in 1996 that he was selling the Golden Horn, which he had owned since 1972, to move to Arizona.
After his stroke, according to an arrest warrant affidavit, Christ decided to turn over his financial affairs to Loyd. Not only did Christ trust Loyd with his finances, but he let him live in his Denver residence for six months a year while Christ was at his second home in Carefree, Ariz., with his wife.
Christ believes, based on what he says are unauthorized uses of Christ’s credit cards, that Loyd may have stolen more than $400,000 from him, according to court documents. Morales said that so far the ongoing investigation has documented the theft of $98,000, although the amount may grow.
District attorney investigator Norman Vialpando said that Christ put Loyd’s name on his checking account and gave him all of his bills and money to manage.
Vialpando alleged that Loyd also put his name on several of Christ’s credit cards and ran up large bills at gentlemen’s clubs – such as Denver’s Diamond Cabaret – and for trips to Las Vegas; Palm Springs, Calif.; Atlanta; San Francisco; and Cancun, Mexico. The credit cards were also used for dining at expensive Denver restaurants and at golf resorts and hotels, Vialpando said.
The affidavit said there were 144 unauthorized charges at the Diamond Cabaret totaling $84,951. The affidavit said that Loyd admitted that in January 2004 he met a Diamond Cabaret dancer and fell in love.
During the period of the alleged thefts, Christ wrote that he “trusted Jim and considered him my very best friend. I never questioned his integrity and he always advised me that my affairs were taken care of.”
Christ also wrote that this was “great comfort to me as I was consumed with rehab and recovering from the consequences of a stroke.”
Christ was inducted into the Colorado Restaurant Association Foodservice Hall of Fame in 1996.
Morales said that Loyd, now a private investigator, has been cooperative. Vialpando said that Loyd told him that “being a former cop, I just wanted to do what was right.”
When he was advised that Christ and his wife thought he had taken more than $400,000, Vialpando said Loyd shook his head and said, “I don’t handle money well, I’ve been through two divorces. If I could write a check and pay back Klaus, I would.”
Attempts to reach Loyd were unsuccessful.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-820-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
