Orangetheory fitness coach investigated for defrauding members

Charitable donations found a more direct pocket

Orangetheory Fitness salons attract devoted, disciplined people adept at pushing against resistance. They also build community.

For one fitness coach, that combination spelled both his success and his undoing.

No coach engendered the ethic like Ryan Tong, a charismatic leader adept at raising heart rates and charitable donations while building community.

“You felt like family,” said Daniel Borgen, a regular in Tong’s classes.

The past-tense verb is intentional. It seems Tong was also allegedly expert at lining his own pockets. He is now facing possible fraud charges as the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office investigates his case.

Orangetheory Fitness in Slabtown exalted Tong’s philanthropic capacities in generating more than $500,000 in contributions since the studio opened in 2018.

Members rushed to sign up for his classes, which routinely had waiting lists.

No one was drawn to Tong more than LeRae Hunt, who confessed that she cried upon learning that he was transferring from Orangetheory’s Northeast Portland location, which was near her home. She ultimately decided to make the trek to Slabtown four or five times a week to stay with him. At the Slabtown salon, she became the center of a circle of friends centered on Tong’s classes.

Their discipline and cohesion came into play when they learned this spring that Tong had taken advantage of them. The special classes he organized to support a list of local charities were not as advertised. Nike, Adidas and other major corporations had not signed on as sponsors. The five-fold matches he promised for donations flowing through his own Venmo account never happened, and the money did not reach the designated organizations.

Hunt’s friends had connections with some of the intended recipients and found out the money was not getting to them. Borgen played a key role in unwinding the scheme. As a board member of Cascade AIDS Project, he learned that no donations from Tong or Orangetheory had come their way.

“Thanks for confirming that you will … provide a receipt for July 2023’s Rainbow Relay 90-minute donation classes that benefited CAP,” Borgen emailed Tong on April 3. “It seemed like you were in a hurry when I ran into you at the studio this afternoon, so I just want to be clear about what we need, and why.”

Tong alibied himself past Borgen’s earlier queries, but this time Tong did not respond. Borgen reported his evidence to Orangetheory, which terminated the coach later that month.

After a two-month investigation by franchise owner Honors Holdings, the company pledged to refund payments collected by Tong and to donate $1,000 to each of 17 agencies that did not receive intended gifts.

“Through patron responses, we have established that about $12,000 in donations appear to have not reached the intended nonprofit recipients,” Jordan Thomas, regional manager for Honors Holdings announced.

Hunt was not satisfied with the company’s gesture.

“Many thousands of dollars are unaccounted for,” said Hunt, whose friends alone gave more than $10,000 to Tong’s account.

Extrapolating that to 800 members of the salon, she estimated “at least $120,000-$150,000 that he stole.”

The list of 17 agencies is also incomplete, Hunt said, noting that she provided the company with a list of 22 organizations Tong claimed to be supporting.

Hunt would have had more confidence in Orangetheory’s investigation had she been consulted. After emailing her evidence and claims, she received no feedback until Thomas issued a notice to members of the Slabtown salon.in July. Hunt said that most of her classmates did not receive that announcement.

Asked to respond to Hunt’s concerns, Orangetheory referred the NW Examiner to a local public relations consultant who made no comments on the record other than to repeat the company’s earlier news release.

A District Attorney spokesperson said Portland Police turned over its reports in early June.

“A number of investigators in our office are actively working on this case, and they are also consulting with DOJ's Charitable Activities Section,” spokesperson Liz Merah wrote.

While Orangetheory’s internal investigation relied on members to report their donations, the District Attorney has the authority to subpoena records of all payments he received.

Hunt said it didn’t have to come to this.

“We all loved him so much,” she said.

If Tong had gotten into a personal financial predicament, she would have understood.

“We would have given him money if he had asked us,” she said.

Months after his dismissal, Tong was seen in the Slabtown neighborhood where he lived. Hunt wondered if he would ever face justice.

“It’s disheartening to be a good person when there are no consequences to being evil,” she said.