John Wright Martin has a taste for the finer things in life.

Martin regularly shopped at high-end furniture stores in Dallas. He drove luxury cars or paid for Uber rides. His closet was dominated by expensive designer labels.

He took trips to California, Cancun, London and Italy. Two years ago, he chartered a private jet to take him and some friends to Florida. He also donated tens of thousands of dollars to charity.

And he couldn't afford any of it.

This undated photo shows John Wright Martin, who is accused of stealing money while working as a personal assistant for Randy and Kristy Pitchford of Frisco.. (Courtesy Matthew Worthen)

Martin instead used other people's money — lots of it. His charm and polite Texas drawl often made his repayment promises sound sincere, friends said.

"He's a master manipulator — a con artist," said Matthew Worthen, who lost about $10,000 to a man he thought was his friend. "He just destroys everything around him."

Theft and forgery charges filed last year in Collin County accuse Martin of stealing millions from his former employers, prominent Frisco business owners Randy and Kristy Pitchford. Martin's attorney says he's innocent. If convicted, Martin could face life in prison.

But for now, Martin — whose lavish lifestyle often made him the center of attention — has disappeared.

Martin, 33, has been in and out of jail on misdemeanor charges since his days as a Texas A&M University student. Charges include purchasing alcohol for a minor, disorderly conduct, issuing a bad check and driving while intoxicated. Each time, Martin was fined or was sentenced to community supervision.

But those indiscretions became more severe. On July 10, 2017, he pleaded guilty for driving while intoxicated on the Dallas North Tollway — his first felony conviction and third drunken-driving offense. He received probation.

These are some of the jail booking mugs for John Wright Martin, who has been arrested multiple times in Texas. On the left are mugshots from Taylor County in 2013, 2017 and 2018. The center column has mugshots from Brazos County in 2006 and Burnet County in 2010. The far right is Martin's booking mug from Collin County Detention Center after his felony drunken-driving arrest on April 22, 2016. Martin is accused of stealing money while working as a personal assistant for Randy and Kristy Pitchford of Frisco..

In July, Martin was taken into custody in Abilene on warrants issued after prosecutors sought to revoke that probation. He was transferred to the Collin County Jail, where he posted bond and was released.

Within days, the bail bond company he used surrendered its principal to the court, stating Martin did not check in as promised.

The Pitchfords

Amid his personal troubles, Martin got a job as a personal assistant with the Pitchfords in 2014. His starting salary: $45,000 a year.

Randy Pitchford is the CEO and president of the video game development company Gearbox Software. His wife, Kristy, owns and operates the restaurant and coffee shop known collectively as Nerdvana Frisco.

This image from John Wright Martin's website for JWM Designs LLC explains his passion for interior design.

By early 2015 Martin was charging his personal expenses to the Pitchfords' American Express business account.

Purchases included designer clothes, jewelry, electronics, hotel stays, airfare and even Amazon movie rentals. He had a self-admitted "addiction to fine shoes and blazers." Photos on social media show him wearing top-of-the-line clothes in bold patterns and vibrant colors.

In 2015, Martin bought a home in Frisco's tony Newman Village with a market value of $591,000. Real-estate site Zillow describes the house as one with "custom renovations by interior designer John Wright Martin" that are "tailored for a lifestyle of luxury."

He racked up hundreds of dollars a night when he visited The Round-up Saloon in Dallas, court records show. The Pitchfords said they learned those larger bills — including one for $657 — paid for a round of shots for everyone at the bar on Cedar Springs Road.

Martin got "better and better at finding ways of spending our money," Randy Pitchford said.

That included big parties. One event that combined art, music and food and drinks promised a night of "indulging the senses" at the historic penthouse atop Le Meridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh. The invitation posted online boasted an event "masterfully curated by designer John Martin."

A theft case is pending in Dallas County, where Martin is accused of bouncing a check for catering and space rental at the luxury hotel shortly after that event last year.

This is an undated photo of John Wright Martin, who is accused of stealing money while working as a personal assistant for Randy and Kristy Pitchford of Frisco. (Courtesy Matthew Worthen)

Frisco police say Martin also forged Kristy Pitchford's name on at least seven checks from her business and personal accounts. The amount totals more than $73,000. They were written out to Martin and an artist friend who told police the money paid for several pieces he designed. The artist was supposed to provide documentation to police for the artwork but cut off contact with detectives, according to a probable cause affidavit.

During the Frisco investigation, police seized furniture and clothing with labels that read like a who's who in fashion — Gucci, Berluti, Givenchy, Sacai, Valentino, Burberry, Hugo Boss and Adriano Goldschmied.

Martin also allegedly charged $10,000 on the Pitchfords' account to The Trevor Project, which combats suicide among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. And he's listed in the 2016 annual report for the Miami-based Best Buddies International — a nonprofit that helps people with developmental disabilities — as a donor of more than $50,000 that year.

But the money wasn't his to give away.

Account mix-up blamed

One day, the Pitchfords received notice they didn't have enough money in their payroll account for Nerdvana.

Kristy Pitchford called Martin, who had stopped working for them in September 2016 so he could pursue his own interior design business. She said Martin immediately apologized and told her there was a mix-up with his accounts. He promised to make it right, she said.

But she said Martin kept stalling.

The couple's attorney drew up a six-page agreement to recover the missing funds. In March 2017, Martin signed it and "acknowledged the wrongfulness of his actions." The document also included a confidentiality clause and a promise that Martin would repay $780,000.

"In hindsight, I wish that's all it was," said Randy Pitchford, who estimates the total loss to be nearly $3 million. "We keep finding stuff."

Martin wrote them a check that month for the first $598,000. It bounced.

Worthen said he tried to help his friend get back on his feet and loaned him money. He also let Martin have his 2015 BMW 4 series coupe and take over the payments. But after a few months Worthen said he got a call from a debt collector. The car was being repossessed for lack of payment.

Upon hearing about the car troubles, Martin wrote his friend a check. It bounced, Worthen said.

"I've wasted so much time on an idiot," Worthen said.

He believes Martin did the same to others who are too embarrassed to admit they fell prey to a grifter.

Probation violations

Martin hasn't performed any of his court-ordered community service on the most recent drunken-driving conviction and has missed multiple monthly check-ins with his supervision officer in Collin County, records show.

This photo from John Wright Martin's Instagram page shows him at a charity gala in 2017 in Dallas. Martin is accused of stealing money while working as a personal assistant for Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford and his wife, Kristy Pitchford.

His attorney, Tom Pappas, said Martin is innocent of felony theft and forgery charges involving the Pitchfords' money. But it's difficult for Pappas to defend a client who can't be found.

Pappas said he couldn't disclose when he last spoke with Martin. He noted that the criminal trial set for Aug. 28, when Martin was a no-show, was going to be postponed anyway. A judge issued warrants for Martin's arrest on those charges.

Pappas said he is worried about Martin's well-being. "If you find out what's been done to him, let me know," Pappas told a reporter.

Civil judgment against Martin

Martin is also on the hook for damages from a civil court judgment earlier this year. He didn't show up for the February hearing in Denton County after the Pitchfords sued for breach of contract, fraud and theft.

A state district judge granted a motion for summary judgment to the Pitchfords and ordered Martin to pay more than $2 million in damages, plus their attorneys' fees.

The case also revealed that furniture consignment stores in Frisco and Lewisville unknowingly accepted items from Martin that had been purchased through fraudulent means. They intervened in the Denton County civil case and ended up turning over proceeds from multiple sales to the Pitchfords, court records show.

Earlier this month, an arrest warrant was issued in Travis County alleging auto theft. Martin had written a check for $76,971.59 to purchase a 2017 white Cadillac Escalade on June 30, an affidavit states. When the Austin dealership went to cash the check, it learned the account had been closed, the record shows.

The Cadillac was recovered when Martin was picked up by Abilene police in mid-July.

Austin police subpoenaed bank records and determined the account had been closed weeks before Martin wrote the dealership a check. But by the time police filed their arrest warrant, Martin had already skipped out on bail.

'Much more to this story'

A recent request for an interview through Martin's Facebook page elicited a response: "I can assure you there is much more to this story than me being charged for crimes I did not commit. I would like to finally tell my side of the story in hopes of putting a stop to this happening to anyone else in the future."

But on the day he said he'd be willing to talk, he didn't. He hasn't responded to subsequent messages.

Worthen said he doesn't expect to ever get his money back. The Pitchfords don't either.

"As much damage as he did, he didn't destroy us," Randy Pitchford said.

But a bigger question is in play while Martin is running from the law, Pitchford said: "Who might he destroy next?"