FARMINGTON — Natalie Six has spent almost every night for an entire year baking 1,700 brownies to raise funds for sportswear for Layton Christian Academy students to wear on their spring- break trip.
But now Six, who is in charge of admissions and international travel, is out $1,010 and has only one hoodie to show for all that work.
Six was in 2nd District Court on Wednesday to attend the hearing of Brett Edward Delbridge, 36, of Layton, accused of scamming at least 150 organizations along the Wasatch Front, like Layton Christian Academy, out of funds.
Delbridge is charged with one count of second-degree felony pattern of unlawful activity; one count of third-degree felony communications fraud; two counts of communications fraud, class A misdemeanors; and seven counts of communication fraud, class B misdemeanors.
Delbridge appeared in court with his attorney, Tony Miles, before Judge Michael G. Allphin for a roll call hearing. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing, and a felony arraignment hearing has been set for Dec. 10.
Before the hearing, Deputy Davis County Attorney Rick Westmoreland said that because of the number of victims involved, officials decided to lump the majority of the cases into the second-degree felony charge.
Police said Delbridge would contact businesses and offer them a good deal on hoodies, T-shirts and hats.
According to court documents, Delbridge owned and operated a business in Layton. He would agree to provide his clients with a product and required the clients to pay at least half the money for the job, but then did not provide the products. Nor did he refund the money to his clients.
That’s what happened to Six.
She said Delbridge contacted her at the school this past summer, said he had a “big order that got canceled and could offer her a great price on sportswear.”
Delbridge made her a black hoodie, with the word, “Italia” on one sleeve, the Italian flag on the back and Layton Christian Academy embroidered on the front, Six said.
She gave him a deposit of $1,010, for 100 hoodies, plus 150 T-shirts.
But then, a week after she paid him, a friend contacted her and said, “ ‘This guy is a sham.’ What was I going to do? He already had my money.”
She thought if she pushed Delbridge, kept in contact, the hoodies and T-shirts would appear.
“But (Delbridge) was full of excuses. There was always an excuse, like he had a service project or a friend died, or there was a problem with the printer,” Six said.
In September she contacted police and learned she was among 150 other cases they were investigating against Delbridge.
“How am I going to get my money back?” she said.
She plans to file a small-claims lawsuit against Delbridge.
And she plans to bake more brownies and hopes to raise more funds and find a reputable business to replace the hoodies she has already ordered.
“I didn’t want the students to pay for their own hoodies,” Six said.
“But I do have one hoodie, which I call my $1,000 hoodie,” she said. “This is just unbelievable this happened.”
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