My Story
I want to share my experience with Colton Cartwright.
I met Colton in 2019, after I bought a house on Long Island. At the time, he seemed like a very nice and trustworthy person. He helped me quite a bit while I was settling into the island and worked well around the house.
2019 — The Boat
After we had worked together for several months, Colton told me that he had purchased a boat that he wanted to restore. He said that he needed a loan to purchase a motor and trailer and to buy additional materials needed to complete the boat.
His plan was to use the boat for fishing and to earn money from fishing. He asked me for a loan of $40,000.
According to his estimates, he expected that he could repay the loan within approximately three to five years if he went fishing regularly. This seemed reasonable to me, so we drew up a contract and I loaned him the money.
The Boat Was Completed
Several months later, he finished the boat and began fishing. At first, everything seemed to be going well, and he began making payments toward the loan.
COVID-19 and a Medical Emergency
Then COVID-19 began, and many things slowed down considerably.
At one point, Colton contacted me and told me that his fiancée had breast cancer and needed surgery immediately. He also told me that she was pregnant. He said they urgently needed approximately $20,000 for the operation.
I wanted to help them. Because they said they could not obtain the money quickly from another source, I paid the medical expense using my own credit card.
Thankfully, the operation went well. His fiancée recovered, and later they had a healthy baby.
A Two-Year Break From Payments
After that, they had significant medical expenses and other bills. Because of their financial situation, I agreed to give them a two-year period without payments so they could recover financially.
After those two years, Colton began making payments again.
The Agreement and the Boat Insurance
Under our agreement, he was also required to maintain life insurance and insurance on the boat. The title to the boat was provided to me as collateral for the loan.
Approximately one year later, Colton contacted me and told me that the boat had capsized. He also told me that he had not maintained insurance on the boat because he did not want to pay the additional insurance premiums.
The Separation
Around the same time, I was told that he and his fiancée had separated.
I asked about the money I had paid for his fiancée's medical treatment. I was told by his former fiancée that she had given that money to Colton. As a result, I understood that I needed to seek repayment from him.
The Payments Stopped
This year, Colton made only a couple of payments at the beginning of the year. The payments then stopped completely.
I helped someone I believed needed help. I trusted him, entered into a written agreement, provided the money he said he needed to rebuild his boat, helped again when his family faced a medical emergency, and even gave them a two-year break from payments when they were struggling financially.
Why does helping someone sometimes leave the person who helped carrying the consequences?
I never expected anything in return except that the agreements we made would be honored.
This experience has left me asking difficult questions about trust, generosity, and responsibility.
I am sharing my experience because I hope Colton will eventually recognize the situation and take responsibility for the commitments we made.
If you know Colton or are part of the same community, please share this story so that my experience can be heard.
I am not asking anyone to harass or threaten anyone. I simply want my story and my experience to be known.