DISGRACED former cop Chris Butler promoted the 2010 reality TV concept P.I. Moms before his spectacular fall from grace.
He was later convicted of drug dealing and running a brothel, as well as an array of other crimes — here’s everything we know about him.
Chris Butler surrounded by his P.I. Moms investigators — (from left to right) Michelle Allen, Denise Antoon, Julia Brazina and Charmagne Peters[/caption]
Promo pic from reality shoe P.I. Moms (2010), which came to an end following Butler’s arrest[/caption]
Who is Chris Butler?
Christopher Butler is a former police officer, who worked in Antioch, California.
He became a private investigator and gained notoriety for his involvement in a series of high-profile crimes.
These include drug dealing, operating a brothel and orchestrating fraudulent DUI arrests.
In the mid-2000s, Butler founded a private investigations firm — Butler & Associates Private Investigations — in Concord, California.
He was also known for promoting the 2010 Lifetime show P.I. Moms of San Francisco, featuring female investigators catching cheating husbands red-handed while filming them.
Butler’s criminal activities came to light in 2011 when he and Norman Wielsch — then-commander of the Contra Costa County Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET) — were arrested and indicted on multiple felony charges.
The charges included selling confiscated drugs — with Butler’s assistance, Wielsch stole methamphetamine, marijuana and steroids from police evidence lockers and sold them on the street.
Butler also rented office space in Pleasant Hill, California, where he managed a brothel disguised as a massage parlor.
The parlor’s sex workers were required to make weekly payments, which Butler shared with Wielsch, in exchange for Wielsch’s agreement to provide protection from law enforcement.
Butler and Wielsch staged fake police raids, seizing money and possessions under the guise of law enforcement.
In addition, Butler orchestrated stings to frame men for drunk driving at the request of ex-wives.
He used his female investigators to lure targets into drinking with them before notifying police.
Where is he now?
In May 2012, Butler pleaded guilty to seven federal felony charges, including drug offenses, conspiracy, extortion and illegal wiretapping.
His cooperation with federal investigators led to a plea deal, but the severity of his crimes resulted in an eight-year federal prison sentence.
Butler was sentenced to eight years behind bars after a plea deal[/caption]
Prosecutors noted that Butler’s actions, motivated by a desire for fame and money, caused significant harm to individuals and undermined public trust in law enforcement.
While he was eligible for release by around 2020, there is no recent public information indicating that Butler has returned to public life or resumed any professional activities, as of July 1, 2025.
Netflix’s Trainwreck: P.I. Moms
A new true crime documentary revisits the reality show and the scandal that followed.
The original P.I. Moms show aired in 2010 and was marketed as an inside look at women balancing motherhood and undercover detective work.
The Netflix doc explores how the show unraveled when journalists and producers began to suspect that not everything was as it seemed.
Allegations surfaced that the agency was being used as a front for drug dealing and that a local police officer was involved, leading to a full-blown scandal.
The documentary promises to detail the true story behind the show’s collapse and criminal allegations, as well as the broader impact of the case on reality television and law enforcement
Trainwreck: P.I. Moms drops on Netflix on July 22, 2025.
