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Last month, Jonathan Schwartz, a business manager to the stars, wrote an open letter in The Hollywood Reporter where he admitted to a gambling addiction he claimed was responsible for embezzling over $7 million from his clients. One of those victims was Alanis Morissette,
In January, Schwartz pled guilty to charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return. He requested leniency from the judge, with his attorneys recommending a sentence of one year and one day in prison, followed by another year of house arrest and 2,000 hours of community service. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee didn’t find that punishment harsh enough, however, and yesterday sentenced him to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release that includes outpatient addiction treatment, regular drug testing, and mental health counseling. Furthermore, he’ll have to $8.6 million in restitution.
“I lied repeatedly to the people who mattered most to me,” Schwartz said through tears on the stand, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I alone am responsible for the devastation I have caused. Regardless of how long I spend in prison, I will serve a lifetime sentence of shame.”
Morissette herself testified against Schwartz in court on Wednesday, saying that she had been “shaken to the core” by his betrayal. Morissette stated that Schwartz was evasive when she pressed him for financial details, saying he would call her “disrespectful.” Despite Schwartz’s emotional display of contrition on the stand, Morissette believes he “had an alibi set up from the start” and urged the court to issue “a sentence that sends a crystal-clear message.”
Schwartz is due to surrender into custody on July 11th. Morissette, on the other hand, will be living it up at the KAABOO Del Mar Festival later this year.